At the 64th National Prayer Breakfast, President Barack Obama shared from 2 Timothy 1:7 about the need to rise above fear through faith and God’s power over death.
The prayer breakfast, held Feb. 4 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, was hosted by the Fellowship Foundation and the United States Senate and House of Representatives.
Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, and co-chair for the event, said to participants, “We believe that Jesus and His reconciling power of prayer is so desperately needed these days.”
In his last prayer breakfast speech as president, Obama focused on cooperation between different faiths in the United States, even through fear.
“Fear does funny things. Fear can lead us to lash out against those who are different or lead us to try to get some sinister ‘other’ under control,” Obama said. “Alternatively fear can lead us to succumb to despair or paralysis. Or cynicism.
“Faith is the great cure for fear. Jesus is a good cure for fear. God gives believers the power, the love, the sound mind required to conquer any fear. And what more important moment for that faith than right now? What better time than these changing, tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us toward what matters?”
Everlasting life
He also said, “My faith tells me that I need not fear death. That the acceptance of Christ promises everlasting life and the washing away of sins.”
Obama said he joins the continuing prayers for Christians and other people of faith around the world who are persecuted for their beliefs, and he expressed gratitude for the safe return of Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was released in January from Iran after being imprisoned since 2012.
House Speaker Paul Ryan noted America’s “growing impatience with prayer” and the idea that prayer doesn’t really work.
“When people say they’re praying for someone or something, the attitude in some quarters seems to be, ‘Don’t just pray; do something about it,’” Ryan said. “The thing is, when you are praying, you are doing something about it. You are revealing the presence of God.”
The breakfast hosted notable guests like University of Alabama running back Derrick Henry, who said the closing prayer.
(TAB, RNS)
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