Christians should pray for Biden.

A heated and controversial election shouldn't stop us from following God's commands.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

This is a short piece published in the Longview New Journal a few days after the 2020 inauguration of Joe Biden.

Comment to let me know what you think.

Click here to read the article in the Longview News Journal.

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With the inauguration now past, it’s time for Christians to accept the fact that Joe Biden is our president and to pray for him.

This will be particularly difficult for those who believe Biden won the election through widespread voter fraud. To be sure, a miniscule amount of voter fraud occurs in every election, and rumors of fraud are common after elections. Nevertheless, Bill Barr — Trump’s own attorney general — said after the election that Justice Department investigators had not found fraud on a scale that would have affected the outcome of the election. Likewise, over 60 lawsuits challenging the election result have been defeated — many at the hands of Republican-appointed judges.

Allegations of fraud have been investigated and given due process. To quote Trump’s ally, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, “It is over … Joe Biden. I’ve traveled the world with Joe. I hoped he lost. I prayed he would lose. He won. He’s the legitimate president of the United States.”

While Christians may disagree on the extent to which voter fraud influenced the election outcome, we should agree that no matter the process or the outcome, God is still sovereign.

“All authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Romans 13:1, NTL) None of the political maneuverings of Republicans, Democrats or others in any way challenges God’s sovereignty; He puts into authority those whom he chooses, for His own reasons. God appointed Trump into a position of authority, and now he has appointed Biden into a position of authority.

Moreover, we as Christians have a Biblical obligation to pray for our leaders no matter how we feel about them or how they came to hold authority.

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NTL)

Note the details. Christians are not only called to pray for our leaders, we’re called to give thanks for them.

Admittedly, this is sometimes hard to do. Nevertheless, praying and giving thanks for our leaders allows us (but doesn’t guarantee us) to live peacefully under their authority. It also pleases God when we do this and provides a witness to non-Christians.

All of our leaders face tremendous challenges and temptations. They need prayers for wisdom, strength, humility and courage. Joe Biden is now our president, and Christians should move past the emotions of the campaign and pray for him to have a successful term in office.