A Psalm and a Prayer for President-Elect Obama

Psalm 12

1Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?"

5"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise," says the LORD;
"I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

7You, O LORD, will keep them;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Let me make clear what I do and don't mean by posting this Psalm. I am not saying that President Bush is "the godly one" in v1. Bush is a professing Christian but so is Obama. I had great hopes in 2000 about the administration of a bold "born-again" Christian but my disappointment began just after 9/11 when he shifted the focus on the War on Terror from bin Laden to Hussein. What I do see in this Psalm that is very pertinent is the cry of a people who are surrounded by leaders who are deceitful and do not hold to their word. This is infectious on both sides of the aisle. I also see the need for our leaders to be concerned with the poor and needy. May Obama seek the LORD and find true integrity with his words. I personally pray that he can't do everything he has promised in his campaign; regardless, may the LORD develop in him the discipline to let his "yes" be "yes" and his "no" be "no" in the midst of a wishy-washy Washington culture. May Obama lead the charge to find truly long-term successful ways to help enable to the poor and needy to find firm footing in this life. May the LORD give him wisdom to be faithful to the Christian call to the less fortunate in a way that gives help that will last while also being financially responsible on a federal level. May God mold and form Obama to be a man of integrity and vision who is able to unite a country and uphold morality. God, I am not asking for a leader who will legislate Christianity... I am asking for one who will do what is right.