By Religion News Service
In his last National Prayer Breakfast speech while in office, President Barack Obama gave an introspective talk about how his faith overcomes his fears.
“For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear,” Obama said at the Washington Hilton event Feb. 4. “Jesus is a good cure for fear.”
The National Prayer Breakfast, held for the 64th time, is chaired each year by members of Congress who meet weekly for prayer when Congress is in session. It draws politicians, diplomats and evangelical Christian leaders.
Speaking slowly at times as he talked about how he is comforted by Scripture and the faith of others, Obama said he has lately focused on a Bible verse from 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
“What better time in these changing and tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters.”
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.
From the February 2016 Report from the Capital. Click here to read the next story.
