"I do solemnly swear..."

This morning, my son Austin is somewhere under the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. with a school group. He is enjoying the cold and a unique event in the history of our nation. "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." This is the presidential oath of office, as specified by Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution. When Barack Obama repeats these words as intoned by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts this morning, he will become our nation's 44th president.

Today, there are enormous crowds applauding and a series of inaugural celebrations to fill the rest of the day. There is the excitement for the new first family of moving into the White House. Today is an amazing day in the history of our nation as the first African American takes the oath of office. We live in a great land and at a great time in history.

Tomorrow, the excitement of today will yield to the realities of "being" the President of the United States. President Obama will inherit two wars, a broken enonomy, an unstable Middle East, an ineffective Congress, the rising threat of radical Islam, and a host of other domestic and international issues that will call for his immediate attentions.

I've often told young couples that "being" married is a whole lot more fun than "getting" married. As hard as the presidential campaign has been, being president will be much harder than running for president.

God calls us to pray "for kings and all those in authority" (1 Timothy 2:2). Have you prayed for our new president this morning? He will surely need our prayers in the days ahead. Max Lucado has produced a simple list of things to pray for Mr. Obama as he taeks office. You may find it helpful in guiding your prayer for him.
http://www.maxlucado.com/president/prayerguide