I voted for George Bush twice. I've been disappointed by George Bush more than twice over some of the decisions he has made, but I still feel like he was the man for this job in this place at this time. The reason? He's persuaded. He talks openly about his faith in Jesus Christ.

But I stay on top of the news, and I know things aren't going well for him. So how does this square up? If he's a godly man, why aren't things going better, and how do we as Christians stand behind him when he does some things we disagree with?

As always, let's head back to the Word. Take a little extra time and read 1 and 2 Kings, which detail all the kings of Judah and Israel. Their ages, dispositions, and lineage change, but the common thread describing each of them is either "they did evil in the sight of the Lord" or "they did right in the sight of the Lord."

We quickly see that Israel had NO godly kings and the subsequent mess they made of their lives and their kingdoms. Second Chronicles doesn't even bother talking about these failures in Israel. It does, however, describe the kings of Judah, which had eight kings who were godly to one degree or another. It was clear that God blessed those who walked with Him and withheld His blessings with those who didn't.

God's rules for those in power are summed up in His words to King Solomon (2 Chr. 7:17-18)
". . .If you walk before Me
and do according to all that I have commanded you
and if you keep My statutes and my judgments
then I will establish the throne of your kingdom. . . "

So what does this have to do with George Bush? I believe it offers us several specific ways we can make a difference:

First, the rules haven't changed. If President Bush continues to walk before God and be obedient to Him, his "throne" will be established. So we should pray for him every day that he remain faithful to God and not wimp out in the end. We should also pray that every decision/judgment he makes will be bathed in prayer, surrounded by godly counsel, and lined up with Scripture.

Second, we pray for his success. Some time during the presidential debates, I found several verses that say how godly don't have to be ashamed. For example, "Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause" (Ps. 25:3). For five years now, I have been praying that President Bush "not be ashamed," not for his name sake or legacy or glory, but for and to the God he serves. I'm not seeing the results yet, but I keep praying.

Third, besides prayer warriors on President Bush's behalf, you and I can help become part of his godly counsel. I e-mail him often at president@whitehouse.gov. My husband says he runs to his computer every morning to see if he has something from Lynda. We can also make our voices be heard with our congressmen. Finally, we can support in every way we can those fighting on the front lines for the values we who are persuaded stand for. Gary Bauer at Campaign for Working Families (garybauer@cwfpac.com) is one such organization.

The Bible is clear that we need to pray for those in authority. Let's try it. For the next month, instead of complaining about what's happening in Washington, let's pray! Pray that those who are persuaded will remain faithful, that those who aren't will give their lives to Christ, and that ALL those who do will never be ashamed. Not now. Not ever--for His name's sake.