I have a lot of respect for Dr. Russell Moore.

Unlike many “faith leaders” who used the Supreme Court, as well as their own fear as a reason to back a man who has shown no humility, no ability to reason, has questionable ties in his background, and who has shown none of the things our Bible says are necessary in good and faithful rulers, Moore stood firm.

Moore has received some backlash, as have most who have chosen to stand on principle over party. With that said, Dr. Moore knows how to make the main thing the main thing.

And now, here we are. The swearing in is complete and Donald Trump is now President Trump.

Dr. Moore took to the pages of the Washington Post to pen his thoughts for the day, and how we should pray for President Trump.

With the inauguration of a new president of the United States, now is a time to pray for President Trump and to remember our obligation as Christians to pray for all those who are in civil authority. The Apostle Paul charges us to offer prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings for “all people,” and includes in that list “kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:2). This very act of praying is itself a counter-cultural act.

After all, we live in a society in which politics has become a badge of tribal identity. Many see their political “side” as the force for good, and the other “side” as the total opposite. That’s why one can take poll questions on issues and get opposite opinions, from the same people polled, based on whether the issue is associated by the pollster with one president or another. Prayer can become that way.

I am absolutely guilty of that, and I am sorry.

We can pray in a way that wants absolute success for officials we like, and total defeat for those we oppose. That’s not the way Christians pray.

No. It shouldn’t be.

Consistently, no matter who is in office, we are to pray for success. That doesn’t mean we pray for all of any leader’s ideas to be realized. But it means that we pray that he or she would succeed, would carry out an agenda that leads to the flourishing of the rest of society and, particularly, so that the church may “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

In contemporary American society, we’re supposed to want those we like to leave office as heroes and those we don’t to bumble and fail. That should never be our attitude.

I can honestly say that the first inauguration of Barack Obama broke my heart in so many ways, but none more so than seeing how vile outgoing President George W. Bush was treated.

For all of his missteps in office, he was a good man, with a good heart, and I can only imagine how hard it was for him to maintain his composure as the crowds booed and cursed him.

I was disgusted.

Dr. Moore continues:

Those who like the new president should pray that he governs so successfully that their hopes are realized. Those who don’t like the new president should pray that, at the end of his term if not before, they are surprised that they were wrong.

This means we should pray for many things, specifically. We should pray for physical safety. Leading a nation is a perilous thing, as we have seen throughout our country’s history. We should pray also for wisdom and discernment.

A president — or any elected official — will have many expert advisers giving counsel, and many of these experts will see things differently. We should pray that Trump would at every turn have the foresight to differentiate between all the competing options in a way that benefits the country and the rest of the world.

We should also pray that the president is able to bring about peace. This means we pray that he would lead the world toward peaceful resolutions of conduct.

We also should pray that God uses him, through the bully pulpit of the presidency, to model what it means for an often-divided nation to live in peace and civility with one another, even when we disagree. A president cannot do that alone, but we should pray that, as in other times in our history, the president is able to make a start.

Like Trump or not, our nation needs for him to do well, and by doing well, that may mean not getting everything he wants.

As he is a child God loves, we should also pray for his safety, and that of his family and staff.

Nowhere does it say we have to agree with him. Nothing says we can’t speak out when he does the wrong thing. We must, however, check any bitterness or ill will, and grant him the grace that God requires we extend to everyone.

To my point, Moore says:

The biblical command to render honor also means we cannot in good conscience undermine the legitimacy of our new president. Evangelical believers can and often do publicly disagree with our elected officials over important issues, and holding those in power accountable is part of our duty. But that accountability does not entail proclamations of “Not my president.” Such statements were wrong and irresponsible when some said them during the last administration, and they are still wrong and irresponsible now applied to the new administration.

That’s correct. Just as Barack Obama was our president, meaning the president of his supporters and his opponents, alike, so is Donald J. Trump.

Dr. Moore goes on to say that now is time to pray that this incoming presidency succeeds in every good thing, abounding in wisdom and justice.

As a matter of fact, we are to pray that way because the country is not of ultimate importance. We pray for wise, successful civil leadership because we know what matters more: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:5-6).

We pray for flourishing in the civil arena because that’s good for everyone, and part of our obligation to love our neighbors. We also do so because we pray for the freedom for the church to announce, without hindrance (Acts 28:30-31), a message that outlasts the White House.

This was an awesome word of wisdom from Dr. Moore, so now I would like to do something I rarely do: openly share my prayer for this incoming administration.

Abba God,

You set up kings and kingdoms. You turn the hearts of rulers and set them for Your good purpose. There is nothing in this world or this time that You did not allow.

We don’t always know the why, but we trust the Who.

Donald Trump is where he is because it was Your will. And now, as always is the way, Your will is perfect.

Bring our new president, his family, and his staff into perfect alignment with You, and what You would have them to be.

Keep a protective hand over them and our nation.

We know only You can calm the raging sea of discontent in our streets, just as we know it was a turning from You that brought us to this place.

Lead us back, Abba. Bring us to repentance. Have mercy on this land.

Bring REVIVAL, in Jesus’ name, bubbling up from our homes, our churches, our businesses, and overflowing into our government, so that we can once again be one nation, under God.

In Jesus’ most precious and holy name we pray, Amen.