A good friend let me know last week that I left out one of the presidents that met with Billy Graham. He sent me an article from the New York Times that chronicled a meeting President Obama had with the evangelist one Sunday in April of 2010.
President Obama is the only U. S. president to visit Billy Graham in his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. With no cameras or news teams, they visited awhile and then prayed privately together.
“The President’s coming over this afternoon. I guess I’d better do a little cleaning.” Can you imagine? But as you might predict, criticisms came from all directions.
Some Obama supporters lamented the fact that their leader felt like he had to walk in the footsteps of his eleven predecessors. Others took liberty to categorize Billy Graham as an out-of-touch Bible thumping extremist who has no business meeting with the most powerful leader in the world.
Others criticized Billy Graham for meeting with a president they loathe. Accusing Obama of being insincere and having no belief in God, these asked, “How can Billy Graham pray with a pretender?”
But what if God wanted such a meeting to take place? What if a president feels such a burden in his position of authority that he realizes he desperately needs the intercession of godly men and women? The Creator, who holds the future of every ruler in his hand, wants his servants to lift up petitions on a leader’s behalf. It is so easy to scrutinize every step a president makes while forgetting that God is above all politics.
Have you ever been criticized for interacting with someone? Do you base your friendships and acquaintances on what others think? Jesus often received scathing judgments regarding his associates… but I don’t think He much cared. He was consumed with doing the work his Father gave him to do… which meant relating to all people — rich and poor, powerful and lowly, religious and sinful. Aren’t we to do the same?
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4