I wonder what it feels like to wake the morning after the election, look in the mirror and ask “what the &%$$ did I get myself into?” In case your wondering, yes I’m speaking of the US presidential elections. The election of Obama says a lot about the country that the US has become, a country that is increasingly maturing from its not always pretty racial past. For that reason, there is a lot more at stake in this presidency than just Obama’s political career. 

Last night I watched some coverage of the celebration in Chicago where the crowd chanted “yes we can” in response to Obama’s rallying cry. The mob zeal was both exciting and frightening. “Yes we can,” is very different from “yes we will.” Both are meaningless apart from a concrete reference to an act. Just as troubling is that the first is unrealized.

I am far less interested in what a person “can” do and what a person “will” do. As Obama looks in the mirror this morning, he might well reflect on all that he “can” do. The real test, however, is what he “will” do.

As Christians we are instructed to pray for our leaders. Not that we don’t have enough to pray about here in Canada, but we would do well to pray for Obama too.