A Pre-Inaugural Invocation

Eight years ago, almost to the day, I called upon people in America to pray for the President-Elect, Barack Obama.

I invited Christians throughout the world to pray this with me, asking God to grant to Obama the very same things that we wanted for President Bush, or any US President. The exact same prayer holds true for Donald Trump, whether or not his politics agree with yours. Proverbs 21:1 tells us:

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Therefore:

Almighty God, We ask your blessing upon the next President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years.

Give him the courage to do what is right and not merely that which is expedient.

Grant that he might always speak the truth without guile.

Give him strength, as the leader of the leading democracy on this world, to stand firm against tyranny and oppression.

Grant him humility that he might see that everything he has is a gift from you.

Grant that he might be a champion for justice and righteousness.

Open his eyes to truth and his heart to understanding.

Watch over him and keep him and his family safe from harm.

Amen.

Back in 2008, I added "And in the fullness of time, grant that his two daughters might come to love and marry upstanding, conservative Republican men*."

*That part was optional, but we did say we wanted the same for Obama as we did for Bush, regardless of skin color!

Some might say that the prayer wasn't very effective, given the results of the last eight years. To that, I give you Obama's stock answer as to why the economy or job growth or healthcare, or unemployment didn't respond well to his programs:

"Think how much worse it would have been without it!"

In 2008, I also appended the invocation with a comprehensive list of BDS sufferers who had called for George W. Bush to be blessed of God during his presidency:

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