It's not every day that you get a call that the President of the United States is on his way to your church. But for McLean Bible Church Pastor David Platt, the unannounced stop was a chance for his large congregation to do what Scripture commands: pray for Donald Trump.
For churches across the country, Franklin Graham's call to intercede for the president came at an important time. Tensions overseas, division at home, hostility from the media, and even voices inside that would tempt him to cave on core values -- they all set the stage for believers across America to heed I Timothy 2.
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
As Pastor Platt said, "We don't want to do that just on this Sunday. We want to do that continually, day in and day out. So I want to ask us to bow our heads together now and pray for our president."
"We know we need your mercy. We need your grace. We need your help. We need your wisdom in our country. And so we stand right now.... and we pray for your grace and your mercy and your wisdom upon [our president]. We pray that he would look to you; that he would trust in you; that he would lean on you; that he would govern and make decisions in ways that are good for justice, good for righteousness, good for equity, every good path."
From coast to coast, tens of thousands of similar prayers rang out -- Americans, joined by a love of this nation, asking God's blessing on a man who doesn't just lead our country, but who needs Jesus as much as the rest of us. I hope, as believers, we commit to keeping Donald Trump in our daily prayers. As Pastor Platt said, may the gospel seeds that were sown Sunday continue to bear fruit in the president's heart, give him courage and divine wisdom to make the right decisions for the challenges ahead.
