Inaugural Benediction-Rev Joseph Lowery

God of our weary years,God of our silent tears,Thou who has brought us thus far along the way;Thou who has by Thy mightLed us into the light,Keep us forever in the path, we pray.Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,Lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;Shadowed beneath Thy hand,May we forever stand,True to Thee, oh God,True to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared this day. We pray now oh Lord for Your blessing upon Your servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family, and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the nation and indeed the global fiscal climate.

But because we know You’ve got the whole world in Your hand, we pray not only for our nation but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills. For we know that Lord You’re able and You’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability. Mend our brokenness. Heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank You for the empowering of Thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seed of greed, the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in the spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now Lord in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side of inclusion, not exclusion, tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, wherever we seek Your will.

Bless President Barack. First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia. We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know You will not leave us alone with Your hands of power and Your heart of love. Help us then now Lord to work for that day when nations will not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors. When every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine or fig tree and none shall be afraid. When justice shall roll down like water and righteousness as a mighty stream. Lord in the memory of all the satins who from their labor rest and in the joy of a new beginning. We ask You to help us to work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen. Say Amen. And Amen.

Inaugural Opening Prayer-By Rev Rick Warren,Jan 20,2009

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.
History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Myles Munroe comments on Obama's election

Myles Munroe, a well-known black leader from the Bahamas responded to Steve Strang's post-election analysis( Founder of Charisma Magazine) in a way that eloquently explains how many conservative black leaders feel about Obama’s election:
“I am not in agreement with Barack Obama’s policy position regarding abortion, homosexuality and same-sex relations, and no Bible-believing kingdom citizen could agree with these positions. However, as regarding his election as the first black president of the USA, this cannot and must not be minimized as to the importance and value it is to the tremendous historical, racial and cultural impact worldwide. Anyone who has been affected by oppression in the past 200 years could appreciate the importance of this event.
“The celebration of this accomplishment does not mean the acceptance of Mr. Obama’s social policies but rather what he represents as a symbol of the restoration and recovery of human dignity from the long march of oppression and the curse of slavery.
“The Lord used Joseph to influence the pagan king, Pharaoh of Egypt ... [and] Daniel to influence the pagan King Nebuchadnezzar [of] Babylon. ... God used these men of God to influence those nations after the king was in power” (emphasis added).
This could be the time for godly leaders who have Obama’s ear to speak up, as Joseph and Daniel did. Mr strang is calling on them to stand for morality in government, the rights of the unborn, and traditional values relating to marriage and sexual morality.
Probably the evangelical who has the most potential influence is the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. But Bishop T.D. Jakes attended the meeting with Obama in June and later wrote an open letter of congratulations to him on his candidacy.
Other leaders who could gain access, such as Charles E. Blake, presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop Kenneth Ulmer of Faithful Central Bible Church in Los Angeles, and the Rev. Floyd Flake, former congressman and current pastor of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, may be able to speak prophetically to Obama in a way the traditional conservative leaders who spoke to Ronald Reagan or Bush couldn’t.
Mr strang says: “I believe the Lord has the power to change the heart of Barack Obama, and we should not doubt the power of the Holy Spirit to change a heart. Let us pray for those in authority as we are admonished in Romans 13. This is our duty now.”
It is a time for godly leaders who have Obama’s ear to speak into his life.

Understanding God's Will

Every New Year gives us an opportunity to redeem time (Ephesians 5:16). It is the only thing we can redeem---not with money, but with purpose. Purpose is the reason why you have been given time.

Ephesians 5:17 says: “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” This verse makes several things clear:
#1 - that God has a plan for us,
#2 - that He doesn’t want us in the dark concerning His plan (will),
#3 - that we can know what His plan (will) is.

The first place we must look when it comes to discovering God’s will for our lives is in His Word. His Word reveals His plans (will). And even when the Holy Spirit reveals specific things to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), it never negates God’s word (1 John 5:7).

Here are just a few of the things that are a part of God’s will for your life (as revealed in scripture).

• Love one another (John 13:34)
• Prefer one another (Romans 12:10)
• Honor one another (Romans 12:10)
• Receive one another (Romans 15:7)
• Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
• Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
• Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
• Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
• Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)
• Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
• Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
• Edify one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
• Consider one another (Hebrews 10:24)
• Stir up one another (Hebrews 10:24)
• Pray for one another (James 5:16)
• Have compassion for one another (1 Peter 3:18)
• Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
• Minister to one another (1 Peter 4:10)
• Have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7)

If you ever feel like you don’t know what the will of the Lord is for 2009, this list is a good place to start. Get involved in doing these things. You will find yourself blessed as well as being a blessing to others and God’s plan would unfold in your life.