Presidential Prayer Kids

Barney and Miss Beazley, the First Dogs, pose in front of a few of the many magnificent decorations that grace the White House this year. Remember to pray for those who will be visiting the White House this year. Pray also for strength and grace for President and Mrs. Bush during this very busy time. Photo courtesy of the White House.

Willie, the Bush’s White House cat who is called “Kitty,” is checking out the decorations that were thoughtfully placed by volunteers and staff this year. Photo courtesy of the White House.

Click HERE to watch "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza."

First Lady Laura Bush poses with all three presidential pets during a break in the filming of Barney’s new Christmas video called, “Barney’s Holiday Extravaganza.” Photo courtesy of the White House.

Pastors come in all shapes and sizes, ages and races. It’s likely your pastor doesn’t look like this man! What does your pastor look like? Pastors have great opportunity to influence others for good. They are often called upon to bring God’s perspective, counsel and help to those struggling with problems or worries.

Have you ever thought about becoming a pastor? It’s a great way to serve God and to serve others. When you minister to people in church you never know who will cross your path and how you will be able to influence them.

This was the case with a man named Phineas Gurley. Rev. Gurley was a pastor who lived in the 19th century. As pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. his church was just four blocks from the White House. He became a friend and confidant of President Abraham Lincoln—at first because of Lincoln’s regular attendance at his church, and later, when Lincoln’s beloved son, Willie died from Typhoid Fever.

Rev. Phineas D. Gurley, pastor of Washington’s New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, was a friend and counselor to President Abraham Lincoln. He stood beside President Lincoln through difficult challenges in his life and presided over his funeral service. Do you think he would be a good person to ask about the faith and beliefs of President Lincoln? Image courtesy of mrlincolnswhitehouse.org.

President Lincoln was distraught over Willie’s death, for Willie was said to have been his favorite son and the one who bore the greatest resemblance to him. His sadness drove him to seek help and counsel from his pastor, Rev. Gurley, who spoke with him often on the subject of life and death. Reports say that the two met together many times and discussed the questions about life after death that were on Lincoln’s mind.

Abraham Lincoln turned to his pastor, Rev. Phineas D. Gurley, for guidance and comfort and answers to the biggest questions in his life. Image courtesy of the United States Postal Service.

As a pastor in Washington, Rev. Gurley was concerned about preaching the truth of the Bible and ministering to people. He wisely stayed out of politics, but used his influence with the President to get release for pastors who were captured and imprisoned by both the North and the South during the Civil War.

When President Lincoln was shot, his pastor was right there in support of Mrs. Lincoln, standing at his bedside. Rev. Gurley was with President Lincoln when he died, and he was a great source of comfort to Mary Todd Lincoln in the days that followed.

Rev. Gurley preached a powerful funeral sermon at the services held for President Lincoln. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, he told of the great faith of President Lincoln. He spoke of Lincoln’s reliance on faith and prayer, and shared how Lincoln knew that God was working through the events of the Civil War. Rev. Gurley blessed the congregation that day by telling how faith in God helps us meet every crisis and every challenge to leadership.

Rev. Gurley spoke with conviction and clarity at the funeral service of Abraham Lincoln. He spoke of Abraham Lincoln’s pleas for prayer upon leaving for Washington. Many people still insist that Lincoln did not have a well-developed belief or trust in God. We’ll include Rev. Gurley’s words here—just a short excerpt of the full sermon—and we’ll let you decide for yourself.

He determined to do his duty, and his whole duty, seeking the guidance and leaning upon the arm of Him of whom it is written, , “He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” Yes, he leaned upon His arm. He recognized and received the truth that the ‘kingdom is the Lord’s, and He is the governor among the nations.” He remembered that “God is in history,” and he felt that nowhere had His hand and His mercy been so marvelously conspicuous as in the history of this nation. He hoped and he prayed that the same hand would continue to guide us, and that same mercy continue to abound to us in the time of our greatest need.

I speak what I know, and testify what I have often heard him say, when I affirm that that guidance and mercy were the props on which he humbly and habitually leaned; they were the best hope he had for himself and for his country. Hence, when he was leaving his home in Illinois, and coming to this city to take his seat in the executive chair of a disturbed and troubled nation, he said to the old and tried friends who gathered tearfully around him and bade him farewell, "I leave you with this request: pray for me." They did pray for him; and millions of other people prayed for him; nor did they pray in vain.

Their prayer was heard, and the answer appears in all his subsequent history; it shines forth with a heavenly radiance in the whole course and tenor of his administration, from its commencement to its close. God raised him up for a great and glorious mission, furnished him for his work, and aided him in its accomplishment. Nor was it merely by strength of mind, and honesty of heart, and purity and pertinacity of purpose, that He furnished him; in addition to these things, He gave him a calm and abiding confidence in the overruling providence of God and in the ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness through the power and the blessing of God. This confidence strengthened him in all his hours of anxiety and toil, and inspired him with calm and cheering hope when others were inclining to despondency and gloom.

QUESTION 1

Based on the words shared by Rev. Gurley about Abraham Lincoln, which of the following would you say is true?

QUESTION 2

True or False
According to Rev. Gurley’s account, one could conclude that Abraham Lincoln shared a belief in common with George Washington—that God was guiding the flow of history in our country, through good times and bad.

QUESTION 3

Rev. Gurley spoke of what Lincoln believed was the “best hope” for America. What did he say?

QUESTION 4

When Abraham Lincoln left Springfield, IL to go to Washington for his inauguration, what did Rev. Gurley say was on his mind?

QUESTION 5

When Abraham Lincoln left for Washington, he asked one thing of his friends. What did he ask of his friends, according to the sermon by Rev. Gurley?

QUESTION 6

What did Rev. Gurley say about this request?

We hope you appreciate how important pastors are to our country. Throughout history, America’s pastors have played a very important role in influencing leaders, presidents and citizens alike. So as you pray for our President and the leaders of our country, pray also for the pastors serving the churches of our country. Ask God to encourage and strengthen them so that they will be a tremendous and godly resource to all. And remember the godly example of Abraham Lincoln who not only asked people to pray for him but also sought help, strength and guidance from his pastor and from God Himself! That’s a great thing for a kid who prays to do!