Celebrating the Inauguration of the 44th President

I actually got this from a friend on Facebook - but it expresses my heart today better than I could - so why not?! :o) by Candice Watters (Focus on the Family) Why?Because we live in the greatest country on earth. For all the bombs lobbed against us, figuratively and literally, we will witness again the transfer of power from one ruling ideology to another, all without a single shot being fired. Our system of government makes this possible, a system that derives its authority from the people. As long as our leaders swear allegiance to our Constitution, and are true to their oath, we value liberty and freedom enough to support our leaders, even when we interpret that Constitution differently.Because we live in a country whose government is built on a Declaration that says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Now, 233 years since Thomas Jefferson penned those words, and 148 years since President Lincoln went to war to prove them true, we will be inaugurating the first black president. I believe Presidents Jefferson and Lincoln would rejoice over such progress. Because I believe President Obama is God's man for the job at this time. Scripture says, God "sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:20-22)The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. (Proverbs 21:1-3)Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7) And so we will pray that our new president will ask of us only what is rightly due Him. And that he will heed the warning of Psalm 2:Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fearand rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." And we will rest in the sovereignty of our heavenly King. The King over all kings. The one of whom the Psalmist said, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases." Grant us O Lord Your favor. May this incoming "king's" heart be directed toward righteousness. And some more good thoughts by Peggy Noonan (The Wall Street Journal): "What is required for full enjoyment of an inauguration, from opening prayers to speeches to marching bands is, in the great 19th-century phrase, the willing suspension of disbelief. If you don't put your skepticism aside, you will not fully absorb and experience the drama. You must allow it to be real for you. Those two young people on the stage did not really take poison and die, but Romeo and fair Juliet did, and that is the reason the audience, which knows the actors still live, says, with genuine feeling, "Oh, no!"To believe, suspend disbelief. We have been through this before, the flags and fine speeches, the brass donkey paperweight, the glass elephant, the rise and fall of administrations, the coming and going of figures great and small. It's good to put that aside for a few days, to remove yourself from politics, partisanship and faction, to suspend your disbelief, to be grateful that the signs and symbols endure, as does the republic, and raise a toast: "To the president of the United States."