All the Bible verses in this edition of The Presidential Prayer Team
for Kids Update are from The New Living Translation of the Bible.
 Click here to learn how to print this page.
  • Prayers of the Presidents!
  • A Supreme Court Justice needs your prayers.
  • Calvin Coolidge prays at a moment of high drama in American history!

Things to pray for
President and Mrs. Bush greet the public in a special inaugural event earlier this week. Photo courtesy of the White House.

  1. Wow! Yesterday's Inauguration was really terrific! Because new beginnings are the perfect time to dedicate something to prayer, we want to remember to keep our president in prayer as he begins the new term in office! Pray for President and Mrs. Bush, for Vice President and Mrs. Cheney and for all the members of their team as they begin the new administration. Ask God to give them a whole lot of wisdom and very clear vision as they plan for the future.
  2. All kinds of changes are taking place in the president's cabinet, so remember to pray for all the new members of the cabinet who are stepping into their new positions. Pray that God will help them as they plan for the next four years, and that everything—from the staff they hire to the policies they set—will be guided by Him.
  3. The President is getting ready for his State of the Union Address—do you know what that is? It's a very important speech in which he tells everyone about how America is doing. He also shares his vision and plans for the coming year. Sometimes there are some pretty big ideas that come out of the State of the Union, so pray that God will help the President and his staff as they prepare. Ask God to guide them and cause them to consult with Him regarding all that they do and say.
  4. Remember to keep our military troops covered with prayer all the time! They are working hard at home and all over the world—did you know that many helped with the Inauguration in Washington, D.C. this week? They were also honored by the Inaugural ceremonies, so pray for God to keep on encouraging them and protecting with all His mighty power.

Leaders to pray for

Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives—
James Towey
James Towey is the Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He is in charge of helping religious organizations provide help and compassion for people in America who have needs that they can't meet on their own. Mr. Towey works to get money to churches and other organizations that want to help people in need in America. Photo courtesy of the White House.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—
General Richard B. Myers
General Richard B. Myers is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That means he is President Bush's main advisor for military concerns. He is responsible for working together with the heads of each branch of the military to bring about the very best results in all of our military actions. Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense.

Bible Verses of the week

God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me.
—Psalm 66:19-20

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
—James 5:16

President and Mrs. Bush greeted these fortunate teens at a pre-inaugural event earlier this week. Photo courtesy of the White House.

As a member of The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids, this week is the perfect time to think about your commitment to pray for the President and his team. As he starts the next four years, he needs our prayers more than ever! He is tackling some pretty big problems in our country, and we want God to guide and lead him as he does so. Remember what a big difference your prayers make—God hears them and answers them every day!

As a kid who prays, we thought it might be helpful for you to get to know some of the prayers of past presidents. So this week we'll take a look at a few of the prayers of our presidents and see what we can learn!

But first, we will take a look at the many responsibilities our president has! That is a great way to pray for someone—by praying for the responsibilities they have. You can pray that way for your mom or your dad or your pastor or your teacher. Just think about all the responsibilities they have, and you will know exactly how to pray!

Imagine that you are the President of the United States of America! (Maybe you hope to be some day—neat!) Before you even make a decision or think about passing a law or try in some other way to help the people of our great nation, you would have to get a grasp on the enormity of your job.

This photo shows the desert around Death Valley, CA—the lowest spot in the United States. It's interesting that there are mountains nearby, isn't it? Photo courtesy of orsi.net.

As president, you'd be responsible for a mere 290 million people living in 50 states and a handful of dependent areas from Puerto Rico to American Samoa. You'd oversee a $2 trillion budget; 142 million workers; 14,800 airports; 12,427 miles of coastline; 3,552,139 sq miles of area--ranging from great central plains and grasslands to towering mountain ranges in the west, gentle hills and lower mountains in the east, striking spires and deep river valleys in Alaska and lush volcanic terrain in the islands of Hawaii. From Death Valley, California at 282 feet below sea level to Mt. McKinley, Alaska at 20,321 feet above sea level, it's an incredibly diverse land!

This photo shows how wonderfully diverse our nation is! Isn't it great that God's kids come in all colors? Image courtesy of Microsoft.

And so are our people! White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian, and others from every nation of the world live in America and each brings their contributions of culture and belief. We spend more than $53 billion every year on education and are the most technologically advanced country in the world. And America is growing and changing all the time.

This photo shows beautiful Mt. McKinley in Alaska—the highest point in the United States. Photo courtesy of parksonline.com.

By now, we hope you get the idea! America is an incredible country, and anyone who steps up to lead it could be completely overwhelmed before they take the first phone call from the Oval Office! So it seems like a pretty good idea for presidents—all presidents—to be people who pray. Because prayer is one way of gaining wisdom and help from God.

God loves it when His people pray, and He doesn't care if the prayers are for help or wisdom or protection or anything—God just loves to hear His people pray. So it makes sense that America's presidents, throughout our history, have been people of prayer.

Maybe you would ask God to give you wisdom and help with all the huge responsibilities you have—great idea! You might also ask Him to send you wise and godly people to help you lead the country. You would probably ask for God's blessings on America too. Our presidents did that—with great consistency and faithfulness!

We have records of many of the prayers of our presidents—and when you think about it, that, all by itself is a pretty cool thing. In some countries, not only do the leaders not pray, no one is allowed to pray, publicly, anyway. So it's terrific that we have historical records of the prayers of many of our presidents. We also have historical documents that show our presidents asking for God's blessing, help and guidance. It's all part of the godly heritage of America.

Even though they are great leaders, presidents aren't all that different from you and me—when things get rough, they turn to God for extra help, as both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson did in the examples below. Whether it's a plague sweeping across our country, concerns about war or some other big problem, it's always good to turn to God in prayer, because we know that He hears and answers our prayers for our country.

Portrait of George Washington courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

By now you should be familiar with the prayers of George Washington—we've shared them here several times. Just as a refresher, here is an example of one of George Washington's prayers. This one was given to the governors of the Colonies and shows beautifully Washington's hopes for the future of America, and his expectations of us as citizens:

I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
--George Washington

Portrait of John Adams courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

President Adams was a man of great faith, and he believed that God had not only blessed America, but that the whole idea for this new democracy was from God's hand. He believed that America was responsible to obey God and honor Him in with righteous behavior.

In the late winter of 1799, America was gripped by a plague of yellow fever that spread across the nation. President Adams called for a day of fasting and prayer by all Americans. He wanted the nation to call on God to help and heal them from this terrible disease. Here are some of the words in his proclamation:

I do hereby recommend that Thursday, the 25th day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain as far as may be from their secular occupations, devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in the public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer…that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."
--John Adams

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

John Adams called for prayer in the face of a health crisis; Thomas Jefferson was known to pray this Anglican prayer for peace. Perhaps he anticipated the coming war of 1812, or perhaps he understood deeply just how precious and fragile peace really is.

Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners.

Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.

Endow with thy spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.

In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Much later in his life, Jefferson wrote a letter to James Madison (our fourth president!) in August of 1823. In that letter, Jefferson reflected on his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, and he seemed to be very aware of his need for God's blessing and help, even as that bit of government doctrine is looked to by future generations (you and me!). Here are Jefferson's words:

I pray God that these principles may be eternal, and close the prayer with my affectionate wishes for yourself of long life, health and happiness.
--Thomas Jefferson, writing to James Madison

This painting shows the unique event of Calvin Coolidge's swearing in ceremony conducted by his own father at the family homestead of Plymouth Notch, VT. Since there was no electricity in the house, light came from a lone kerosene lamp. Moments earlier, Coolidge and his wife, had knelt to pray. Image courtesy of the State of Vermont.

If we jump ahead about 108 years, we have a great example of a president who prayed at a crucial moment in America's history. Calvin Coolidge was Vice President under Warren G. Harding, and when Harding died in office, Coolidge received word that he was to be sworn in as president. Coolidge was at his family homestead in Vermont at the time, and word came via telegraph to a nearby town. A reporter who later wrote of the events of that day told the story this way:

As President Harding lay dying in San Francisco, Vice President Coolidge was visiting his father and stepmother in the lonely Vermont village where he had grown up. There was no electricity in the house, no plumbing, no telephone. Light came from a kerosene lamp.

Word of Harding's death reached White River Junction, the nearest large town, by telegram. By the time someone got the news to Plymouth Notch, it was extremely late. John Coolidge, the vice president's father, answered the knock at the door. In a trembling voice he called upstairs to his son.

"Coolidge and his wife returned to the bedroom," [Coolidge's biographer, Robert Sobel] writes. "They washed, dressed, and knelt by the bed to pray. Then they went downstairs, where Coolidge dictated a message of sympathy to Mrs. Harding. The house was now crowded with reporters and others."

The attorney general urged Coolidge to take the oath of office without delay. He "went across the street to the general store and telephoned Secretary of State (Charles Evans) Hughes, who informed him the oath could be administered by a notary. Coolidge returned home, and in the downstairs sitting room John Coolidge, using the family Bible, swore his son in as president. The time was 2:47 a.m.

Photo of Calvin Coolidge at the White House courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Calvin Coolidge is another example of a president who knew that prayer is so very important—whether in times of crisis or in times of great joy or plenty. We need to consult with God all the time, because we know that He will be there to help us.

Read George Washington's prayer again:

I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind...

QUESTION 1

Remembering that President Washington is speaking to the governors of each of the brand-new Colonies, which statement below do you think explains George Washington's hope for the citizens of the new country?

  1. Washington hopes that America will have God's complete protection from bad things that could happen, both from within the country and from the outside.
  2. Washington wants all Americans to show good citizenship by cooperating with government, and he believes that one of the best ways to do this is to be loving toward everyone else.
  3. Washington wants people to exhibit their good citizenship by living their lives in accord with the Scriptures.

George Washington shows a great technique that lots of PPTKids use—praying the Scriptures. Do you know where to find the two Bible verses that George Washington uses?
Hover here to read one.

Hover here to read another one.

Read again President John Adams' request of the Nation.

    I do hereby recommend that Thursday, the 25th day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain as far as may be from their secular occupations, devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in the public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer…that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

QUESTION 2

Which statement do you think best explains what President Adams' hopes will result from his declaration of a day of prayer and fasting?

  1. He hopes that everyone in the country will be completely humiliated—that way they won't get into trouble.
  2. He believes that every citizen should quit their secular job and become full-time Christian ministers.
  3. He wants every citizen to consider their lives before God, honestly confessing their sins and shortcomings, devoting time to prayer, doing without food so they can focus on God and His goodness, and turn to Him in love and obedience.

When President Adams quotes Scripture in his proclamation, he is using one of his and Mrs. Adams' favorite verses. Do you know where to find it? Click here to read.

FOLLOW THE GREAT TRADITION

There are many more great examples of presidents who prayed and who asked for God's blessing on the nation and on their work. We'll keep on looking at them in the future, but for now, it's great that you've learned a little bit more about the reliance on prayer by America's presidents. Though it's not something you'll read about in the newspaper every day, as a kid who prays and a member of The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids, you can follow that great tradition and pray for and with our current president—because God hears and responds to your prayers!

Please drop a line to the editor to let us know if you value PPT Kids, want to see it continue or to tell us how you use it in your home, school or church. We'd also love to hear how God is answering your prayers or how He is teaching you about prayer. Drop us a line at Meagan@presidentialprayerteam.org.

Home | Sign Up | Downloads | Radio Program | Archives | Contact | Last Week
Presented by the sustaining partners of The Presidential Prayer Team.
© Copyright 2005 The Presidential Prayer Team, Inc.

INTERNET SECURITY NOTICE: For your safety, The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids will never phone or initiate personal correspondence. If anyone saying they are from The Presidential Prayer Kids contacts you (other than to respond to your question or request or to send you birthday greetings or updates), please tell your parents or the authorities. Never give your address, phone number or personal information to anyone you don't know (or anyone else on the Internet). Membership is free and members' names and email addresses will never be shared with any other entity or individual.

The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids is a division of The Presidential Prayer Team (www.presidentialprayerteam.org), a nonprofit, charitable organization. The Presidential Prayer Team is not affiliated with, nor does it receive funding from, any political party or office of the government.