The evangelist Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham, publicly called on Christians to pray for President Joe Biden amid the commander in chief’s COVID diagnosis.
“The news reports that President Joe Biden has COVID-19 and is experiencing very mild symptoms,” Graham wrote last week on Facebook. “We need to lift him up in prayer.”
He continued, “The Bible instructs us to pray for all those in authority, and that includes whether we agree with their policies and politics or not.”
Graham is referring to biblical commands to pray for leaders—calls some might be tempted to ignore amid political disagreement. Similar sentiments and struggles raged when former President Donald Trump also contracted COVID in 2020.
But the Bible is clear in its message to pray for leaders and those in authority.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV) reads, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Other verses deliver similar calls to believers to submit to and pray for leaders.
Graham received many reactions to his call for prayer for Biden, including a slew of “amens.” Some wished for the president’s wellness but called for him to “retire” or leave his role; others openly declined to pray for Biden. All of this comes as Biden continues to recover from COVID.
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