Here we are again: Inauguration Day in the United States of America. At approximately noon on this day we will witness the transition of power from the preceding administration to the newly elected administration. We will hear PEOTUS Donald Trump take the oath of office to serve this great country as our Commander in Chief. He will place his hand on the Bible as he takes this oath of office, and so will begin the next chapter of American political history.

There is no question that the country will begin to move in a different direction from that of the past eight years. President elect Trump has made many promises of the changes he will implement as he leads our nation into the next four years. There are those who are in total agreement with the changes he has enumerated, and then there are those who adamantly oppose those changes. As I think back over the past eight years, I must admit that I was opposed to most of the changes implemented by the present administration. President Obama has led our nation toward a more socialist form of government, undermining, in my estimation, many of the precedents set by those who had served before him.

President elect Trump has made clear that he will lead in a totally different direction. We will see vastly different foreign policy implementation, as well as national policy. We will see a vastly different perspective on immigration, healthcare, and a litany of social issues that will move away from the liberal agenda set by the present administration.

How are we to respond? I can only speak for myself, but I would like to suggest that we give President Trump the opportunity to prove his leadership abilities. Even though I voted against Obama in both elections, I have tried my best to respect the fact that he had been elected by the people of the United States. There have been days when I was overwhelmed with disappointment because of decisions made by Obama and his administration. I have used my right as a citizen of this great country to share my beliefs and convictions. But through all the disagreements I have had with this administration, I continued to pray for God to give direction to this nation through those elected to serve.

I am asking now that we do the same for President Trump. Those who disagree with the changes he has promised to bring about, please respect the fact that the people of the United States have spoken through the electoral process, and he is now our duly elected president.

For those of us who identify ourselves as Christian, let me suggest that we pray consistently for our elected leaders. Pray that God would give them wisdom to make decisions which would lead this country back to the founding principles of those who were instrumental in developing our constitutional form of government. Pray that we would once again be a nation guided by principles gleaned from the Bible, the book that gave such insight and wisdom to those who formed this great nation. And pray that our government would never forget that, as past president Ronald Reagan stated, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”