The first prayer in our inaugural prayer series comes from Eric Nielson. Eric is an mechanical engineer and he lives in the Midwest. I want to thank him for not only getting us started, but also for writing a thoughtful prayer.
He is introduces himself as follows:
My name is Eric Nielson. I am a lifelong faithful Latter-day Saint. My political views are quite conservative and I would consider myself far right. Yet, I am not confident that my political views are the best for society as a whole. I suspect they are mostly a reflection of my own self interests, or at least what I perceive them to be.
I voted for Mitt Romney, and frankly I felt that the country made a big mistake in re-electing President Obama. I feel that fiscal responsibility is something that our government sorely needs, and I acknowledge that to do this, spending would need to be reduced on both sides of the aisle.
I am very concerned for our country’s long term well being. I have such fundamental disagreements with our current president, that I admit that giving such a prayer would be a difficult thing for me to do. I would try to put my personal opinions in the background, and give an appropriate prayer. I would hope to find an appropriate sincerity.
Heavenly Father,
We come before thee at a very important time, to inaugurate Barack Obama as the President of the United States.
We are so grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy, and for the blessings that come through self government. We acknowledge thy hand in establishing this great country, and securing the blessings that we all enjoy as a result. We are grateful for President Obama, and for his willingness to take on this great responsibility in representing our entire nation to the whole world. We ask thee to bless him that he may be able to fulfill not only his responsibilities as President, but also his responsibilities as a husband and as a father.
We ask that thy influence will continue with us as we progress into an uncertain future. We ask thee to bless our nation and the world with peace and prosperity. Please bless our president with the wisdom to lead this nation in a way that will be of the greatest benefit to its’ citizens and to its’ allies.
We express our love for thee, and our dependence on thee. Please bless President Barack Obama, and bless the United States of America.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.