Jerry MacGregor & Marie Prys. Prayers of Our Presidents. Baker Books. 2004.

Prayers of Our Presidents is written as a 31 day devotional guide. Each chapter features a sample prayer, a chance for you to make a similar prayer, a little historical information and some interesting facts about the president covered.

In today's political climate where prayer is a controversial political football, it is refreshing to learn how each of the our presidents including the current one, prayed and observed the human need to recognize someone higher than us as being in control of man's affairs.

Concerns about the Book

It is clearly that every president has acknowledged someone higher than themselves even when taking the oath of office with their hand on a bible. However, a careful reading will make it clear to the true Christian that not every President believed the same things about God. We must be very careful when watching a President take the oath of office-anyone may put their hand on a Bible to take the oath of office, but not everyone even acknowledges Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior nor is concerned about it. Some are just acknowledging a higher power. The writers produced material from the President's own words showing what their true beliefs were. Unfortunately, the word "prayer" is often interpreted as meaning "prayer to God (in the Christian sense).

Christians, we must learn to judge the Christianity of a man, whether he be a President or the city street cleaner, not just by their words but by whether they will acknowledge Jesus to be the Savior of the world. It is too easy to take a man's statements of moral beliefs that align with our own to mean that they believe the same way. Prayers of Our Presidents shows, perhaps inadvertently, that this isn't always so. We must be prepared for the day someone from the Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, or other faith becomes our chief political leader. I wonder if we will be ready?

Copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2005-2009