In the immediate aftermath of President Biden’s major announcement on Sunday, stating that he was dropping out of the presidential race, a flood of responses was quickly posted online. Political pundits were weighing in. Cultural commentators were sharing their perspectives. Social media influencers were having their say. After all, this was a seismic announcement.
But since I have nothing of political substance to add to the many perspectives that have been shared on TV, in online video commentaries, in articles, and in memes, I’ll offer up a prayer for President Biden instead.
As I posted on X Sunday afternoon,
“While President Biden has been an enemy of the pro-life movement and has pushed for many causes which I strongly oppose, I still grieve over him as a person for whom Jesus died. May he truly come to know the Lord and His mercy and goodness while he still has breath!”
Remarkably (and quite sadly), on January 20, 2021, when I posted a prayer on Facebook for our just-inaugurated president, not all were happy to join in. In fact, I was following the guidelines of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which reads:
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
But while the vast majority commenting on the post added their amens, others protested, saying, “He’s not my president! The election was stolen.” Or, “We don’t have kings and those verses don’t apply. ‘We the people’ lead our nation.”
Others had far more sinister reasons for not praying. To paraphrase the sentiments of a small, vocal minority, “I would just as well pray for the devil as for Biden! He is just plain wicked.”
In that case, our prayers for him should have been all the more fervent.
After all, Paul likely wrote 1 Timothy when Nero – the infamous, evil, madman Nero – was emperor. Yet Paul called his readers to pray for him.
If Nero, then, was not beyond the pale of salvation, surely Joseph Biden is not.
As I wrote in The Political Seduction of the Church,
“Just as Donald Trump is not Jesus, Joe Biden is not the devil. Neither is he Nero. Biden may support gay ‘marriage’ and transgender activism, but Nero ‘castrated a boy named Sporus to make him womanlike, and then married him in a traditional ceremony, which included a bridal veil and a dowry, according to the Roman historian and biographer Suetonius (circa A.D. 69).’ And I do not believe for a moment that Biden would call for Christians to be set on fire and burned alive to illuminate the night. Please!”
God had mercy on me as a proud, rebellious, heroin-shooting, LSD-using, 16-year-old, Jewish, hippie, rock drummer, transforming my life in 1971.
He saved Paul, who once had followers of Jesus put to death (1 Timothy 1:13-16).
He saved David Berkovitz, the notorious Son of Sam serial killer, giving him a new heart, even while imprisoned for life.
He saved my dear friend Yesupadam, raised an untouchable in India before becoming an atheist, an alcoholic, and a radical communist who engaged in atrocities against the rich. It was only then that Yesupadam encountered Jesus and literally became a new man. Today, he is the truest Christian I know on the planet.
Perhaps you could insert your own name here too, even if your story is not as dramatic as some of those I just listed?
Even two of the most wicked kings in the Bible, Ahab king of Israel and Manasseh king of Judah, were shown mercy because they humbled themselves before God (see 1 Kings 21:29; 2 Chronicles 33:12-13).
As I wrote recently, great is the mercy of the Lord!
So, as much as I wholeheartedly opposed much of President Biden’s agenda, in particular his call to reinstate Roe and his dangerous support of radical transgender activism, I hate to see a fellow human being losing his cognitive abilities, and I certainly pray for his salvation.
Would you join me in this prayer?
Heavenly Father, we lift our voices to you on behalf of President Biden, asking You to reveal Yourself to Him afresh, to show him the depth of his sins in Your sight – while we make no excuses for our own sins – and to point him to the cross.
To the extent that his Catholic faith was ever real in his life, help him to understand how he has betrayed his values on many fronts, from the meaning of marriage to the sanctity of life in the womb. And whatever else he has done, be it in public or in private, bring the weight of conviction on him until he pleads for mercy and grace. Help him to humble himself before You!
May he not trust in his own works. May he not trust in Church tradition. May he not trust in the approval of his friends and family. May he recognize instead that he stands naked and guilty in Your sight, and in that light, may he receive an overwhelming revelation of Your love, Your kindness, Your mercy, Your compassion, and the power of the blood of the cross.
As you saved us and washed our slates clean, do the same for President Biden. May he have a glorious conversion experience in the days ahead, and may we have the joy of hearing him proclaim his new life in You.
We pray this in Jesus’ name.
