×

How to Get a Message to the President

Lightstock.com
Lightstock.com

This past weekend a man was arrested after jumping the perimeter fence around the White House. After being questioned the intruder indicated that he wanted to talk with the President. The authorities even found a letter that he wrote to Mr. Trump inside of his backpack. This practice of jumping the fence and running for the White House is increasingly common. It has happened more than 75 times since 1991. While we may question the strategic wisdom of such a mission, we can certainly empathize with the burden. How many of us haven’t desired to sit down with the President and attempt to persuade him of something important to us?

As I thought about this recent story I was drawn to something particular. The intruder came within a few hundred yards of the private residence of the White House. The President was actually sleeping in the room at the time. In other words, this guy almost woke up the leader of free world!

This reminded me of a section of Scripture where a king was sleeping and he was delivered a message. In Genesis 20 we read about a king named Abimelech. He had allowed Abraham and his traveling family to settle in his area. In so doing he did what was customary in that time, he took a wife from among the group. The only problem was this new wife was also the wife of Abraham and a woman who was to play a major part in God’s promise plan to bring a son through her. We read the shocking details of the king getting a midnight message from God:

“But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, ‘Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.’” (Gen. 20:3)

While the king laid asleep in his chamber the King of kings pays him a visit. God knows how to get into the king’s head. Who can forget Pilate’s wife testifying as to how she was tormented in a dream because of Jesus (Mt. 27:19)?

My point in tying these together is to remind you that while our physical access to people, especially our leaders, may be limited, God is not. This is why we are instructed to pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1ff). We should not look at prayer for our leaders with the same time of hopelessness that might attend a letter that we mail off. Our God has access into the Oval Office. He can clear the Secret Service. He can get into the mind and hearts of people at the highest level of authority.

What should we do?

“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, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1–4)

We should pray a confidence that our prayers have a hearing before the King of kings. And our God has access into the very secure bed chamber of kings and presidents. If God wills, our prayers may be answered in a most surprising way. Therefore, knowing that God is not bound and he calls us to prayer, let’s pray for our leaders.

LOAD MORE
Loading