Gracious God and Father of Jesus Christ our Lord:
Today — Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 — the inauguration of our president-elect will take place. We pause to give thanks for the freedoms bestowed upon us in this nation called the United States of America. We will further pause to bless you as you led our ancestors centuries ago to establish this nation on many principles, one being religious freedom.
Jimmy Gentry
Forgive us when we forget that religious freedom is granted by you, not a government, to all humankind. Knowing this, remind us that others in this world suffer because some governments suppress religious freedom. May that never happen in these United States.
We bring before you President-elect Trump as he will serve this nation for the next four years as the 47th president. We ask that you sensitize him to all the ethical and moral issues of the biblical witness and not just to those that are politically expedient. Enable him to listen to all points of view — those from the religious community and even those from the pagan community. We pray he will listen to the diverse religious voices. Remind him there are legitimate biblical concerns among those on the right and on the left and those in the center. May he seek to be bipartisan and lead us all in finding common ground on all issues.
May the soon-to-be president have a humble spirit, for arrogance is an affront to you. When he is right in his actions, and he will be right at times, grant him the strength to acknowledge that with humility. When he is wrong, and he will be wrong at times, grant him the courage to declare both privately and publicly that he was wrong, even acknowledging before the nation and the world that he, too, like all others, is a sinner, even though that is not the politically correct thing for the president to do.
Given Jan. 20 also is a celebration of the life and prophetic ministry of Martin Luther King Jr., may President-elect Trump, in the spirit and memory of King, work for people of all colors. May he work for the poor and oppressed of this world. May he move us beyond racism. May he be sensitive to those who are vulnerable and marginalized. May he remember that the USA is but one of many nations on this earth that you love. May he labor for policies that not only will strengthen the United States but also strengthen all nations and peoples. May his ideology reflect a passion for the betterment of humanity worldwide. May he seek to be an instrument of your peace always. May he seek to make the world great and put the world first.
“May he remember that the USA is but one of many nations on this earth that you love.”
I do not know if Donald Trump is a Christian or not. I do know that you can use whomever you want — a Christ-follower or a non-Christ-follower and that person doesn’t have to be in a position of power like the presidency of the United States. If he isn’t a believer, I pray he will make the decision to follow Jesus Christ. If he is a Christian, when appropriate, may he seize opportunities to testify to his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the church for which Jesus died.
At the same time, may he do everything necessary to protect the sanctity of religious liberty for all so that those who aren’t Christians may enjoy the same freedom to share their faith if they choose to do so. May he stand up for the freedom rights of everybody. May he, in the spirit of the late President Jimmy Carter, be a champion of human rights worldwide.
Remind us that we can and should uphold our president in prayer, exclusive of agreeing with him.
We pray for his wife, Melania. We pray, likewise, for his children: Donald, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron. We also pray for his 10 grandchildren and the 11th to be born this year. We ask your protection for this wife, these children and these grandchildren.
We pray for this soon-to-be first family, asking that it remembers there are myriads of families in the United States, and the rest of the world for that matter, not as fortunate and many of these families are suffering — some because of their own doing in some instances, and some because of immoral policies. May the first family welcome people from all walks of life — rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, independent and socialist, educated and uneducated, anybody and everybody — especially those who reside in this nation.
Forgive us, O Lord, when we succumb to the temptation to deify presidents and vice presidents and senators and congresspersons and governors and lieutenant governors and state senators and representatives and mayors and city councilpersons and county commissioners and preachers and pastors and theologians and churches and denominations and educators and students and sanitation workers and farmers and military personnel and veterans and coaches and athletes and physicians and dentists and bankers and attorneys and parents and children. Forgive us when we deify the individual self. Remind us that there is but one deity and he is the Creator and Sustainer God of this universe revealed perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ.
All this we pray on behalf of President-elect Donald John Trump. We also pray it for ourselves. And we do so in the strong name of the Almighty and Most High and Holy God, even Jesus Christ our Lord, whom we serve in the Spirit, through the Son and for the Father, now and forever. Amen.
Jimmy Gentry is an ecumenically minded Baptist minister at large, who lives in Rome, Ga., with his wife, Jackie. He recently retired as an active pastor following a career of preaching for 50 years.