Bob Sjogren, Praying for our President

700 Club producer Gorman Woodfin explores the growing grass roots movement of praying and fasting for the president.

President Bush: We are here in the middle hour of our grief. So many have suffered so great a loss, and today we express our nation’s sorrow.

Gorman: President George W. Bush undoubtedly has the most difficult job in the world. With an overload of incredible pressures and difficult decisions -- where will he get the strength to lead our nation? But the President has an army beyond the United States military. There’s a spiritual army fighting a hard fought battle on the president’s behalf. There is a grass roots movement.

Bob Sjogren: We would love to see 1,000 people fasting for our president every day. For the holiness of our president, for wisdom and for the cabinet.

Gorman: Bob Sjogren of Mechanicsville, Virginia had the vision for this spiritually powerful website and he began this movement by sending out a single email.

Bob: I figured if we at least got 31 people who would fast one day a month, we’d have his whole term covered in fasting. I got the first response back within two hours. And that began to just snowball from there within a week, I had 1,000 people who had signed up saying I want to fast.

Right now we’ve got about 11,000 people signed up. 25 to 30 percent of the people fast weekly for the president. This month, October, we had 1,100 people fasting for the president for his holiness, for wisdom.

Gorman: You can sign up to fast for the president in a matter of minutes. The address is http://www.heartlight.org/fast/.

Bob: “The way the website works is very simple -- if they sign up for it then I just automatically kick out an email to them two days before, saying here is a reminder for you: You’re supposed to fast.

Gorman: “Those participating in this movement come from all political backgrounds and from all over the world.”

Bob: Those who are choosing to fast are choosing to fast because they are believers. We’ve got Democrats, we’ve got Libertarians, and we’ve got Republicans. But their common commitment is to see our Lord’s name lifted up and exalted.

We’ve got people from other nations fasting. We’ve got a person from Indonesia fasting. One guy from the United Kingdom wrote me and said his American friend came over and wanted to download his email. We had a guy from Africa write up and said this is a great idea, “I want to fast for your president.” And so Christians from all over the world have done it.

Gorman: The website does not accept contributions. When Bob was overwhelmed by the initial Internet response -- a man in Texas volunteered to set up the current website absolutely free.

Bob: When people want to donate money, there’s nothing to donate to. I can’t accept any funds cause there’s no fund to give to. We have no non-profit organization. We’re just two guys who the Lord is choosing for some reason to use. And we’re getting this message out.

Gorman: Bob’s entire family is fasting for President Bush. And he feels the fast for President Bush website has the potential to influence our country for generations to come.

Bob: I’ve since become convinced that no matter who becomes the president after President Bush, we’re going to keep it going.

President Bush: May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country. God bless America.