Presidential Prayer Kids

SuperBowl LXI--Two teams, two coaches, two great testimonies for Jesus Christ!
Meet Mr. Jay Hein and the Faith Based and Community Initiatives—find out what they do.
Rebecca St. James-godly woman, recording artist and prayer warrior.

Things to pray for

President Bush spoke to the nation this week when he delivered his annual State of the Union Address. He mentioned important initiatives in education, fuel conservation, health care reform and more. Pray for the President and his team as they follow up with action on these important new areas of action. Photo courtesy of the White House.

Hey, did you watch President Bush’s State of the Union Address? It was a great speech in which he called for America’s leaders to work together to deal with some of the key issues and concerns of our nation. He spoke about education, fuel conservation, our work in Iraq, and much more. If you prayed for the President before or during his speech, good for you! And now is the perfect time to pray for President Bush as he carries out the plans he announced in the State of the Union speech, particularly health care reform and his 20-in-10 plan for fuel conservation. Pray for all the members of his team who will also work to implement these plans, asking God to guide them to the results He wants!
Now that President Bush has presented his new plan for success in Iraq and has reminded everyone about the consequences of failure in Iraq, pray for God’s will to be done regarding our effort there—that success will come in His time and in His way and that the Iraqi people will be strengthened to live in freedom and liberty under the democratic government they have chosen. Pray that America will become unified as we consider the controversial issue of this war.
Do you know who Lt. Gen. David Pertraeus is? Well you should, because he is someone who we can pray for as we pray about the trouble in Iraq. Gen. Petraeus was just confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new job of Commander of CENTCOM. So it’s a terrific time to pray for Gen. Petraeus as he steps up to lead our efforts in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. Pray that God will lead and guide him as he serves our nation, and that He will bless him with wisdom and mighty strength.

Pray for Coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith as they head into the SuperBowl. Pray that God will be glorified by their testimonies. Photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears.

The SuperBowl is coming! Whether you love football or not, it’s an exciting time, because the SuperBowl is an event that people pay a great deal of attention to! Many churches and ministries use the SuperBowl as a time to reach out and share the great message of the love of God for all people. And this year there is the added excitement of two very special coaches—history-making men who are in the limelight for their success, their African-American heritage and their godly faith in Jesus Christ! That’s right, both Baltimore Colts coach Tony Dungy and Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith know and love Jesus Christ! And on top of that, they are friends! So it is a very good time to thank and praise God for raising up these two wonderful men, praying that this attention will draw many to the love of Jesus. Pray also for the many people who will be reaching out to others during the SuperBowl, that God will be glorified and many will open their hearts to His love.
Pray for every member of our military, wherever they serve, giving thanks for their dedication and sacrifice. Pray that they will receive the support and encouragement they need. Pray especially for those struggling to recover from the effects of the war, that they will have God’s presence and peace every moment and will be fully strengthened and healed.

Leaders to pray for

Portrait courtesy of the Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives.

Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives—Jay Hein

In his job as the Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Mr. Jay Hein and his team are working to help strengthen our country and the way we help those who are most in need. His office helps churches and other faith-based charities to receive needed money for the valuable services they provide. So a feeding program, an addiction recovery program or a center to help keep teens off the streets--any of these could receive financial help for the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Mr. Hein has been FBCI director since August 3, 2006. Formerly he was the founding president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, an international public policy firm in Indianapolis, IN. In that position he led the team as they researched a number of policies that impact people—things like affordable health care, crime prevention, welfare-to-work and more.

Prior to taking the helm of Sagamore Institute, Jay was Executive Director of Civil Society Programs at Hudson Institute, including the Welfare Policy Center, the Faith in Communities initiative, and community-based healthcare reform. It’s safe to say the Mr. Hein cares a great deal about people and wants to see them receive all the help they can.

Jay performed his Master’s work in Political Studies at the University of Illinois-Springfield and earned his B.A. at Eureka College, where he was an inaugural member of the Ronald W. Reagan Fellowship program. He is married with children and is active at his church in suburban Indianapolis, IN.

Your persistent prayers will eventually result in open doors! Don’t give up!

Ask Me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.
--Jeremiah 33:3

Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.
--Matthew 7:7

Have you ever prayed for something you were pretty sure was a good thing, but found that God didn’t answer your prayer? It’s true that some prayers are answered right away. When that happens, it’s awesome! But sometimes prayer takes a bit of extra effort.

The first part of Jesus’ command is to ASK!

In the Matthew verse above, Jesus gives us a big bunch of encouragement to hang in there with our prayers and not quit when we don’t see the results we desire right away. He says it is a little bit like raising your hand in class when there is something you really want to know. The teacher might not call on you at first, or you might get a part of the answer. But if you sincerely want to know the answer to the question, you will go to the teacher’s desk and ask again until you find out what you wanted to know!

Jesus also reminds us to SEEK!

Or, have you ever lost something really special? If you keep on looking for it, trying very hard to remember where you put it, and asking your friends and family if they have seen your special thing, you’ll eventually find it. Jesus says that being faithful in prayer is just like that too!

The Lord also says to KNOCK, when we have a genuine concern! He loves to answer our prayers!

Jesus also says that being persistent in prayer is a bit like going to someone’s house and knocking on their door. They might not hear you at first, or they could be too busy to answer the door. But if you keep on knocking, hanging in there with persistence and faith, usually, the person inside will come to the door and open it up. Then, you can deliver the message, ask your friend to come out and play or return the cup of sugar your mom borrowed.

So the next time you feel a little bit discouraged in your prayers--whether they are for the President, the country or a friend or family member, remember Jesus’ words. Pray and don’t give up. Sometimes when God seems the quietest and most distant, He is doing His very best work.

In fact, we want to encourage you as a kid who prays to keep up with your commitment to pray. Remember to pray for the President and the country every single day, if you can. Your prayers are so important to God, and they are really making a difference!

The Constitution forbids the government from making one religion the religion of all people in our country, but it does not say that the government can’t help provide needed funds to groups who do a great job of helping people in need. Click here to enlarge. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Do you know about the President’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives? That’s a lot of fancy words to explain that President Bush wants to help many ministries and agencies by providing money to help their efforts in cities and towns across the country. In the past, many worthy groups helping the neediest citizens of America have not been able to get funds from the government because some people thought this went against the First Amendment.

Remember the First Amendment? That’s the one that says that the government can’t promote one form of religious faith over another. Well, President Bush believes that helping ministries that serve America’s neediest citizens is not promoting religion--it is simply providing funds for some of the groups who do the best job of helping! He believes that churches and ministries that are involved in helping people in our society should be encouraged by the government, not scolded!

Here are some of the President’s words on this important idea. Read them and see if you agree or disagree with his thoughts:

President Bush wants to encourage religious groups that are helping people with their problems. Photo courtesy of the White House.

In many of our faith institutions, we find people who are willing to reach out in the neighborhood in which they exist to help those who hurt and those who are in need. They're willing to take a new tack, a tack based upon faith, to heal hearts and provide hope and provide inspiration, so that the American Dream is available in every corner in America. And where we find those programs which are effective, society ought to support those programs.
What I'm saying is, we ought not to fear faith, we ought not to discriminate against faith-based programs. We ought to welcome what I call neighborhood healers in the compassionate delivery of help so that people can experience the greatness of our country.
--George W. Bush

QUESTION 1

Read President Bush’s comments above. Which statement do you think is true?

QUESTION 2

Still thinking about President Bush’s comments, which of these questions do you think best explains the President’s views?

The Bible has many, many places in which it talks about the poor and the importance of taking care of them. A few Scripture passages even hint that we may be helping more than just the poor if we minister to their needs. Can you think of any of these? Click here to read. Isn’t that great? God promises to give you His peace when you pray. That’s the best problem solver anyone could have!

How about a second Scripture verse that goes right along with this idea? Click here to read.

Portrait courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid.
--Grover Cleveland, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1893

Rebecca St. James met President Bush during the summer of 2006 when she was asked to perform at the White House. Of the encounter she said, “President Bush was very gracious, very warm and he said to me ‘I really enjoy your music' which was so affirming-very much of an honor for me."

Do you know about Rebecca St. James? She is a dynamic Christian recording artist who is taking prayer for America and prayer for what she calls, “my generation” very seriously!

Rebecca keeps prayer as a vital part of her life. She prays in her concerts, before interviews, at home, on the road--anywhere and everywhere! Rebecca is praying all the time, and you can’t help but get the feeling that she walks very, very closely with the Lord each day. In fact, she named one of her former albums Pray.

St. James admits that prayer has been on her mind--so much so that it has become the focus of her music. One of the things that I’ve really been sensing over the last little while is that God is really calling us, I think, to humility and to brokenness before him, and to prayer, she said.

Photo courtesy of Smallbone Management.

Rebecca feels that the time for prayer is now. In light of the tough times our country and President have had since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, she says we must humble ourselves before God and really pray.

I think especially with what’s going on in the nation right now--in politics and this crisis in this country--I think it’s a call to all of us to seek God, you know, and to pray, and to get on our faces, she says. And that’s something that I’ve been hearing other people saying, too, that God’s been saying to them… that we need to humble ourselves and pray.

Rebecca not only practices what she preaches on the issue of prayer, she also serves as a member of the Honorary Committee of The Presidential Prayer Team. She has helped support the PPT in many ways, most recently by making available her special recording, I Thank You which was created as an expression of gratitude to our troops serving in Iraq. In the song, she thanks those who have helped defend America. In addition, the recording is overdubbed with the expressions of thanks of many everyday Americans as well as the voice of President Bush.

To listen to I Thank You, click here.

If you think of it, you might want to pray for Rebecca, asking God for two things:

To strengthen her in her witness for Him
To use her to encourage others to commit to praying for the President and the nation.

We hope you’ve been encouraged by the great news that there is a whole department of our government that works to bring help to those in need in our country. We want to urge you to take encouragement from President Bush, Jay Hein and others as they suggest that you get busy serving others! There is no better way to strengthen our country, and there’s no better way to serve Jesus! And while you’re at it, remember to ask, seek and knock—to pray for the things that really concern you, including the needs of our President, our troops and our nation! It’s a great way to be a good citizen and a great way to honor God!