Subject: Who Prays for Our President?
Please take time to read this...
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This email is from a Senior Pastor from a recent National Pastor's
conference in San Diego: it makes an important political statement
on the upcoming election.
I recently attended the National Pastors Convention in
San Diego with
several thousand pastors from many different denominations. During
one of the general sessions, the MC introduced a pastor from
Uzbekistan.
He had traveled the farthest to attend the convention,
so they wanted
to interview him. I don't remember his name; and even if I did, I know I
couldn't pronounce it.
However, I do know this: I will never forget this man.
Right away, I liked him. He was humble, sincere, and
gracious. He
apologized for his broken English, though I thought he spoke very well.
As the MC interviewed him, he began to share about his ministry in his
country that borders Afghanistan. He talked about the church of a few
hundred people that he pastors.
He also shared how it is illegal in his country to be
a Christian. You
see, his church is an "underground" church. Amazingly, his
city also has
"underground" Christian schools. He talked about how the
Christians
have been arrested and even killed in his country.
Then, as the interview was about to end, he began to
speak very
urgently and passionately. He said something to this effect: "I
would like all
of you to know that my church and the Christians in my country are
praying
that President Bush will be reelected." I was stunned. I knew that
this
gathering had to include many pastors from all over the political
spectrum and I was certain this would not go over well. Immediately,
there were
murmurings and rumblings throughout the audience and the MC seemed a
little uncertain about what to do next.
However, this pastor would not be denied. Grasping the
microphone
firmly in his hand, he continued, "The officials in my country are
afraid of
President Bush, so they don't persecute Christians as much. Under
Clinton it was very bad for us. Many of us were arrested, put in jail,
and
some were killed. With Clinton, it was very bad. But under President
Bush, it
has been so much better, so we are praying for him."
The murmuring ended. It was suddenly very quiet. The
MC paused.
Then he just asked us to stand and pray for this man and we did so with
great passion.
Choking back tears, I was immediately struck with this
realization in
my heart: this coming election was not just about me or my church or my
country. This coming election would affect the entire world. And while
there are many Christians and churches in this country that may not
support and
may even despise our current President, there is a group of Christians
halfway around the world that is desperately praying for his reelection.
All of the sudden, the election became something very
different for me.
It is not just about the economy, gay marriage, or weapons of mass
destruction. It's about the persecuted church around the world. As
believers, what issues should be more important to us? This transcends
politics. This is about the Kingdom of God for which Christ suffered and
died, and for
those believers in other countries who are suffering and dying as well.
I was also convicted in my heart about praying for our
President. And
I wonder, which church is praying more fervently for him: the persecuted
church in Uzbekistan or the prosperous church in America? It makes
you think.
As the Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 13:3,
"Remember those in prison as
if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if
you
yourselves were suffering."
Remember, this election is not just about us. It's
about them.
James Lair
Senior Pastor
