Should We Hope Obama Fails?

There has been quite a bit of controversy over an article by Joseph Farah in WorldNetDaily, and over comments by Rush Limbaugh, about their statements hoping—indeed indicating Christians should pray for—Obama to fail. Several breathless stories have been reported in the mainstream media, their reporters aghast at the prospect of Christians praying for the failure of a sitting President. Before diving into the issues, a little perspective.

It’s a bit ironic for a mainstream media that has spent eight years berating a sitting President—Bush—and hoping he fails. Bumper stickers abounded over the last eight years, saying things like: “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Sculptures were made, dreaming, wishing, that George Bush had been aborted. Not only did the liberal media hope for George Bush to fail, they opined that he should be impeached, and wished for his physical demise. What we are hearing from Rush and WND don’t hold a candle to the sorts of things that have been said about George Bush, or even Ronald Reagan.

But, moving beyond this, should Christians pray for a sitting President to fail? The key verse you’re always pointed to on this subject is 1 Timothy 2:1-2, which says:

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.

When we examine this passage, we find something interesting. While there are many things a government may take on itself the power to do, there only some specific things called out for a Christian to pray about.

1. That all people, including these rulers, learn the truth of Christ, and come to salvation.
2. That rulers rule in such a way that we may lead quiet, godly, and dignified lives.

What we seem to miss is that a government can be broken into three pieces.

1. The individual people within government.
2. The policies and actions of the government that fall into the role God has given government.
3. The policies and actions of the government that do not fall into the role God has given government.

The first of these three is covered in Paul’s statement that we should pray for all people, including for kings who in high positions. This is a prayer for the individual person, as a person, to come to salvation, or a knowledge of the truth.

The second of these three is covered in the prayer for a peaceful and quiet life, a godly and dignified life. For these are the things a government is supposed to guarantee, the things a just government would provide.

The third thing is not covered at all. Government is not to provide social justice, for that perverts justice. Government is not to provide abortions, for that is murder. Government is not to force Christians to do things which go against their beliefs, for that would be preventing them from leading Godly lives.

So, the entire point Paul is making is we should pray for the individuals in the government, as people, and we should pray for the government to execute well those things which are within the province God has given government. But to pray for success at destroying Christian ideals, or to pray for the success of theft in the name of social justice? Neither of these things are indicated here, or elsewhere.

That so many Christians accept this line of reasoning shows the shallowness of their understanding of the Scriptures—or, perhaps, even more, their willingness to discard what the Scriptures actually say in favor of what they really want the Scriptures to say, or what they think sounds nice in polite company.

This tendency we should be very careful of.