President’s Day and the Posture of Prayer

 

Character Over Position

President’s Day quietly arrives each year.

For some, it means a long weekend. For others, it brings to mind history books, portraits of past presidents, and lessons about leadership. For many, it simply passes as another date on the calendar.

But for believers, it can serve as a gentle spiritual reminder.

A reminder that while positions change, hearts matter more.

Presidents come and go.

Authority shifts.

Policies change.

But God has always cared deeply about the hearts of leaders and the hearts of His people.

Scripture tells us in Proverbs 4:23, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Leadership decisions flow from the heart. Words flow from the heart. Direction flows from the heart. And the same is true for us. Our responses to leadership also flow from what is shaping us internally.

It is easy to focus on positions. Titles feel powerful. Offices feel influential. But God consistently looks deeper than the seat someone holds. He looks at the posture of the heart within it.

That is why believers are instructed not to argue first, react first, or worry first.

We are called to pray first.

In 1 Timothy 2:1–2, Paul urges believers to offer petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and Holiness.

 

Notice the instruction is not conditional. It does not say pray only when leadership aligns with your
preferences. It simply calls us to pray.

Prayer shifts our focus from position to character.

It reminds us that wisdom, humility, and integrity are not produced by power, but by hearts surrendered to God.

When we pray for leaders, we are asking God to shape what truly matters. We are asking Him to guide motives, grant discernment, and soften hearts toward what is right. And in the process, He often shapes our own hearts as well.

President’s Day can be more than a civic holiday. It can be a spiritual checkpoint. A moment to examine whether our posture has been shaped more by headlines or by prayer.

God’s people have never been called to carry the burden of controlling leadership. We are called to carry the responsibility of lifting leaders to the Lord.

Because in God’s kingdom, character will always matter more than position.

And the posture that reflects that truth is prayer.

A Quiet Moment to Write A Letter to God

Take a quiet moment today and write your own letter to God.

President’s Day reminds us that leadership changes, but God remains constant. Instead of reacting to the noise around you, let this be a moment to turn inward and upward in prayer.

In your letter, you might:

• Share any concerns you carry about your nation or community.

• Pray for the hearts, wisdom, and character of those in authority.

• Ask God to guard your own heart from fear, frustration, or division.

• Surrender what feels out of your control and place it in His hands.

•Thank Him for being sovereign over every leader and every season.

There is no right way to write it. Be honest. Be personal. Write as if you are placing your thoughts directly into God’s hands, because you are.

Let this be more than a holiday on the calendar. Let it be a moment where your posture shifts to prayer.

A Prayer for Leaders and Our Own Hearts

Lord,

Today I pray for those in authority over our nation, our communities, and our daily lives. You see their responsibilities, their pressures, and the decisions before them. Shape their hearts toward wisdom, integrity, humility, and justice.

Guard their hearts, Lord, because everything they do flows from within. Surround them with wise counsel and guide them in ways that bring peace and stability.

And guard my heart as well. Keep me from reacting in frustration or fear. Teach me to respond first with prayer, trusting that You remain sovereign over every position and every season.

Help me remember that while leadership changes, You never do.

Amen.

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Friday the 13th, Opening Day, and Who Is Really in Control

 

Well of course it is. Opening Day… on Friday the 13th.

Somewhere a player just tightened his socks a little more carefully and avoided every crack in the sidewalk on the way to the field.

Baseball has always had its quirks. Players say they are not superstitious, but somehow the same pregame meal appears during a winning streak. No one steps on the foul line. A certain playlist must play. A routine cannot change if the last outing went well. If something works once, it will absolutely be repeated.

It is part of the culture. And honestly, it is part of the fun.

In our family, the number 13 is not avoided. It is embraced. My son wears 13. His daddy wore 13 in college too. So yes, we smile at it. We joke about it. We call it our lucky number.

When Opening Day lands on Friday the 13th, it almost feels like baseball handed us a headline.

But when the first pitch is thrown, fun gives way to reality.

No number controls a fastball.

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No ritual guarantees command.

And no superstition overrides the will of GOD.

James reminds us that we do not even know what tomorrow holds and that all of our plans are subject to the Lord’s will. He is not discouraging preparation. He is reminding us how to hold our plans.

Preparation matters. Discipline matters. Focus matters. These boys have trained, sacrificed, and shown up when it was not easy.

But control belongs to GOD.

And sometimes GOD’s will includes things we would not pick.

Bad hops.

Tough losses.

Injuries.

Slumps that mess with confidence.

Moments that stretch character more than skill.

Trusting GOD does not mean the season will be smooth. It means we believe He is present and purposeful in every circumstance.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 says,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah reminds us that GOD has plans, that He listens, and that when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him.

So as this season begins, our confidence is not rooted in superstition. It is anchored in something steadier.

Pray. Seek. Find. In all circumstances.

Pray when it is going well.

Pray when it is not.

Seek Him in the pressure.

Seek Him in the waiting.

Find Him in the win.

Find Him in the loss.

And yes, we will still wear 13 proudly.

Not because it protects us from bad luck.

Not because it guarantees a strikeout.

But because for us, 13 does not mean luck.

It means faith.

We will cheer loud. We will probably still have our favorite seats. Someone may even insist the playlist matters. We are human, after all.

But at the end of the day, we know the difference between tradition and truth.

Friday the 13th does not scare us.

It just gives us another good reason to smile, trust GOD, and enjoy the game He is letting us be part of.

And if a fastball finds the corner while our boy is wearing 13 on Friday the 13th?

Well… we will grin and say it was faith all along.

Letter to God

Before the first pitch is thrown, pause.

Write a letter to GOD about this season.

Tell Him what you are hoping for.

Tell Him what makes you nervous.

Tell Him what you want for your son, your team, your family.

Be honest.

Are you quietly asking for wins?

Are you praying for health?

Are you hoping for confidence?

Are you holding tighter than you realize to control?

Now surrender it.

Write what it looks like to trust Him in all circumstances.

Write what it means to pray, seek, and find Him in the middle of it.

Write how you will respond if the season unfolds beautifully.

Write how you will respond if it stretches you more than you expected.

Let this year be about more than innings and statistics.

Let it shape your faith.

Father GOD,

Thank You for Opening Day. Thank You for the opportunity to compete, to grow, to represent something bigger than ourselves.

We place this season in Your hands.

Protect these players. Guard their bodies and their minds. Give them courage under pressure and humility in success. Teach them resilience in loss and gratitude in victory.

When outcomes surprise us, steady us.

When disappointment comes, grow us.

When joy overflows, ground us in thankfulness.

Help us to pray, seek, and find You in all circumstances.

Remind us that nothing about this season is accidental. You are present in every pitch, every inning, every moment in between.

We trust You with the scoreboard.

We trust You with the growth.

We trust You with the story You are writing.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Quiet Obedience

There are seasons when obedience is loud and unmistakable.

The kind that requires stepping out publicly, saying yes in front of people, launching something new, or making a visible change. Those moments are seen. They are affirmed. They are often celebrated.

And then there are seasons when obedience happens quietly, almost unnoticed, in the middle of ordinary life.

No announcement.

No applause.

No visible milestone.

Just you and GOD.

Lately, I have found myself in one of those quieter seasons. It is not dramatic. It would not make headlines. From the outside, it may not even look significant. But beneath the surface, it is steady and shaping, a small quiet “yes” after  another small quiet “yes”, woven into the rhythm of everyday life. I am thanking God for opportunities to serve, but I have to remember why I am saying “yes”. 

If I am honest, quiet obedience can feel harder than loud obedience.

Because loud obedience often comes with encouragement.

Quiet obedience comes with silence.

And silence has a way of revealing whether we are living for affirmation or alignment.

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The Unseen Work

Quiet obedience rarely feels impressive.

It looks like choosing gentleness when frustration would be easier.

It looks like pausing to pray before responding.

It looks like staying committed when leaving might feel justified.

It looks like trusting GOD without having every answer.

It is not flashy. It is faithful.

Colossians 3:23 reminds us,

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for human masters.”

When we truly shift our audience to the LORD, something changes within us. The need to be noticed begins to loosen its grip, and faithfulness becomes enough. The room may be quiet, but GOD is not.

Formed Before We Are Seen

Scripture shows us again and again that GOD does His deepest work in hidden places.

David was faithful in the field before he ever stood in a palace.

Mary said yes before she fully understood what that yes would cost her.

Even JESUS lived years of quiet obedience before stepping into public ministry.

Luke 16:10 says,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

Quiet obedience is not about the size of the assignment. It is about the shaping of the heart. It is about learning to trust GOD when the outcome is unclear and the reward is not immediate.

The hidden work is not wasted. It is formative.

When Nothing Seems to Change

One of the most refining parts of quiet obedience is continuing to obey when you do not see quick results.

You pray, and circumstances remain the same.

You forgive, and healing feels slow.

You serve, and gratitude may never come.

And yet obedience is not about visible progress. It is about faithful alignment.

James 1:22 tells us,

  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Sometimes doing what it says looks very ordinary. It looks like consistency. It looks like integrity when no one is evaluating. It looks like continuing to show up when quitting would feel easier.

Heaven measures differently than culture does.

Peace in the Quiet

What surprises me most about quiet obedience is the peace that often comes with it.

Not because everything is resolved.

Not because tension disappears.

But because your heart knows you are walking in step with GOD.

Isaiah 26:3 says,

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”

Peace is not the absence of difficulty. It is the presence of trust. And trust deepens when obedience becomes steady, even in the quiet.

There is abundance in that kind of peace.

Reflecting on Our Obedience

Is there an area where GOD is inviting you into quiet obedience?

Maybe it feels small.

Maybe it feels unseen.

Maybe it feels slower than you would prefer.

But what if this season is not small at all?

What if it is strengthening you in ways that will matter later? What if it is building something beneath the surface that only GOD can fully see right now?

Letter to GOD

Take a few moments to write a letter to GOD about your quiet obedience season.

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You might reflect on:

• Where obedience feels heavy?

• Where you feel unseen?

• Where you are tempted to rush ahead?

• What you are trusting GOD with right now?

Write honestly. Write slowly. Let it be a conversation.

Quiet obedience is never invisible to GOD.

Dear GOD,

Thank You for the work You are doing in the hidden places of my life. Thank You that obedience, even when unseen, is not insignificant. Help me keep saying yes, even when the path feels quiet and steady rather than dramatic.

Guard my heart from needing applause more than alignment. Steady my mind. Soften my spirit. Root my obedience in love.

Teach me to live abundantly, even here.

In JESUS’ name,

Amen.