"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." -1Timothy 2:1-4

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you..." - Psalms 55:22

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:16

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." -Proverbs 21:1

On Martin Luther King, Jr's Day, we woke up to the inauguration of our 44^th President, Barack H. Obama. I absentmindedly jumped on Facebook and saw a quote that gave me a buzz. The topic had come up in conversation with my friends and I on more than one occasion and I was glad that other people were thinking about things from this perspective as well. Within the Christian community there are many who voted for him and many who didn't; many who were excited to see him sworn in for a second term, and many who were not. We are all entitled to our own opinion of him as a leader. But, now we are at a point where party affiliations no longer matter. As NEWDradio's very own Andre Harrison said:

"Whether you are happy with President Obama's re-election or not, as Christians you are to follow scriptures on how to deal with people who are in leadership... You are free to disagree but if you only run your mouth (and Facebook pages) with disapproval for any current president, whether Democrat or Republican, and you never offer prayers for them and your country - then shame on you..."

One thing that we, as Christians, should be able to agree on, whether pro-Obama or not, is that it behooves us to keep him - and all of our leaders - in prayer at all times.

God didn't forfeit His power because we mortals decided to vote for a leader. Our faith is grounded in God and His omniscience and omnipotence - not our President. This means that we still must look to Him for our guidance and protection in all areas. President Obama and his administration - like every other President and his administration - is made of humans. They are still prone to making mistakes and we must seek God on their behalf.

Regardless of whether or not we believe he is truly saved, let's ask God to grant our President wisdom, guidance and understanding. This we do not do only for our benefit, but because this is what we are commanded to do. Let us pray that the Lord brings people into his life who will encourage him in the Word and that President Obama will have a soft and open heart to receive it. The poor man has a lot more gray hairs than he did when he first stepped into his role as our leader and I'm sure a few of those can be attributed to the stress of the tremendous weight he carries on his shoulders.

As Christians, the Word of God requires us to keep our leaders in prayer. If for no other reason, obedience to the Word of God should be a valid reason for presenting Obama before the throne.

I challenge us, no matter how encouraged or discouraged we feel by any leader, that we always, without fail, pray God's hand be upon them.

Shari Grant is a Registered Nurse in South Florida, where she was raised in a (very!) Jamaican home. Some of the loves of her life are words (both reading and writing them) and missions work. She enjoys spending time with friends and family while living for a good laugh - one that makes her belly ache and her eyes water. Her bottom line goal in life is to make the Lord smile and maybe even serve Him up a chuckle from time to time, too.