"Prayers for Trump" by Charles M. Garriott. A Review


Prayers for Trump: Petitions for the 45th President
Charles M. Garriott
Riott Publishing, LLC
3731 Van Ness Street NW
Washington, DC 20016
ISBN: 978-0-9762004-5-1; $18.99; March 2017

5 stars of 5

There are sparks and censures on the one side as well as applause and admiration on the other. And in between are oodles of worried and baffled looks from those in the middle. But if one claims to be a Christian, there is one thing for certain, no matter how one voted or didn’t vote, we have a biblical obligation to pray for the President, whether we consider him our President or not. And that’s the well-reasoned premise of Charles “Chuck” Garriott, Presbyterian minister, founder and director of Ministry to State, and accomplished author, in his soon-to-be published 96 page hardcover, “Prayers for Trump: Petitions for the 45th President”. This nonpartisan compendium is meant to be useful for pastors and parishioners alike as they seek to navigate their Christian responsibilities through the days ahead. As the author explains, “This prayer book is a call for every thoughtful Christian in our land to respond to this administration as our Lord has intended. Christians may not get their political way. But they are expected to represent the gospel in every sphere of life. Thoughtful, intelligent and persistent prayer for our leader is part of what it means for us to be salt and light in a needy world” (13-4).

“Prayers for Trump” is the second in a series that began in 2011 with “Obama Prayer: Prayers for the 44th President”. After the prologue, Garriott walks the praying reader through 12 biblical features that we should pray for no matter who is in office. The qualities covered are prayer, reverence, direction, wisdom, words, favor, family, truth, protection, integrity, justice, and friends. Each short chapter is a thoughtful, devotional and biblical précis on each specific aspect that covers around three pages apiece. Then once a particular facet has been developed, the author wraps it up with a fitting prayer for the President. In all there are twelve prayers that go along with the twelve qualities, and the publisher has even given permission for these prayers to be used in their churches (95).

The tone in “Prayers for Trump” is civil and courteous, as was the previous volume in this series. Garriott has provided pastors and parishioners with a valuable tool to pilot them through some of their responsibilities in the days and months before us. Our assignment from our Lord is to pray for this administration, as we should for each presidency. I encourage every Christian minister to obtain a copy as soon as it’s off the press, and employ it personally and pastorally. I gladly recommend the book!

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