Tomorrow marks a day in history for our nation. Someday we will be able to tell our children and grandchildren that we remember the day that America got it’s first African American president. The inauguration is a huge deal and I congratulate President Obama for being the first black president, even if I do not agree with his policies. He is now my president and my leader and I am making a promise today that I will do my best to treat him with the respect he deserves.
I have been deeply grieved by the response of many Christians over Obama’s election. Though I was hoping for John McCain to win the election and was horribly disapointed when Obama won, I still think that we need to respect him no matter what we think of him. When I say “respect” I am not saying that we condone his position on many things, one of the biggest being abortion, not at all! I don’t respect or look up to him morally or as a general person, and I sure don’t “admire” him, but he is my president and because he has been put there by God and the people, I know I need to pray for him and that he deserves honor because of his position.
When Bush was president the “Bush-bashing” was horrible from the media and democrats. I live in a very blue state and I have constantly seen bumper stickers and such full of hate towards him. Now that Obama has been elected I am seeing that Christian Republicans aren’t any different. From comparing Obama to Hitler to refuse to acknowledge him as our president, it is constant disrespect and almost hatred.
We have all been forgetting that God is in control. Obama being elected to presidency is part of God’s perfect plan and He is going to use it for His glory in some way, shape, or form. My dad had as his facebook status the night after the election that he “is going to sleep like a Calvinist, because he is one”. We need to remember that it wasn’t just the American people that put him into office but it was also the most sovereign Lord of the entire universe! God is all-powerful and He has history scripted… that’s why it’s called “His story”. There is a reason that Barack is our president even though we ourselves can not see it clearly because we do not see things as God does.
Christians have also forgot the multiple verses in the Bible about respecting those in authority over us, especially the Emperor, and during the time Paul and Peter wrote that the Emperor was Nero! He was a madman that persecuted Christians with a passion and used them as torches in his gardens, and we are called to respect even THAT. (And no matter what you think, Obama is not that bad.) Take a look at what 1 Peter 2: 13-17 says,
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people …. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
And again in Romans 13:1,2,5-7:
” Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment… Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience… Pay to all what is owed to them:… revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed”
I have been guilty of not giving respect to Obama before and forgetting that God is in control so don’t think I am trying to beat you over the head with anything. I am simply asking those of you out there that call themselves Christians (including myself) to make sure that you treat Obama the same way Jesus would. Obama needs Jesus just as much as we do and we need to pray that he would come to know the saving power of the blood of Christ. But the biggest things we need to do is to just trust God. On election night I read these verses from Psalms 20 and they really convicted me. (vs. 7 & 8 ) “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”
Let’s not just have this election be historic because of the fact that it’s our first black president, let it also be historic because of the way Christians handled it: with respect for Obama and with trust in God. Then it will truly be a day to celebrate.
With that I will leave you to your thoughts and comments on this touchy subject. As always, I love to hear from you and find out what you think. God bless you all and may you be a light to others by the way you treat all people!
Nobody416 