Donald Trump is either America’s great mistake or God brought him to the Presidency for such a time as this. Which of these two opinions you hold will depend on which side of the political spectrum you fall, and the extent to which you allow your politics to color your religious outlook.

 

Trump is undoubtedly a divisive figure (deliberately or inadvertently) in current American politics. We ordinary citizens just cannot seem to avoid him. He is the subject of most of our major news stories these days, and hardly a day goes by without some scandalized headline screaming something dire about the President’s tweets, speech or activity. So, how should believers respond to Trump in this super charged political environment?

 

If we refer back to the Bible we can keep cool heads while those for and against ardently press their points of view towards us in order to capture our support for their side of the argument. Even if we choose a side, we can still remain grounded so as not to be steamrolled by the very loud and adamant persuasion which seem to flood the airways in the competitive propaganda market place that is the American public sphere.

 

Regardless of the side we come down on, the Bible tells us that God is indeed in control of human affairs.

 

“This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Da 4:17 AV)

 

Even when God allows us to choose our leaders, He still retains the final say so as to who and how much the King or leader we choose will be allowed to act. Consider the story of Saul and David and many of the stories of the Kings of Israel in the Bible. These demonstrate that no leader is left absolutely on his or her own to build or destroy at will, outside of God’s permission. This gives us the assurance that President Donald Trump (for Good or bad) cannot act out of God’s divine will, and will not be allowed to do more harm to America than God permits. This point should bring solace to those believers who have decided that he is America’s mistake.

 

The danger for those who oppose the president is that they will begin to repeat the hateful, derogatory and disrespectful position parading as journalism on our TV screens. This trap can be avoided by referring to Scriptures which advise God’s people not to revile their leaders, Exodus 22:28, those that instruct us to be respectful and mindful of those in authority over us in Romans 13:1-7, and also those in Jude1:8-10 which tells us not to be disrespectful, even when we disagree with them. Sure, we can criticize their actions and policies as the prophet’s declarations in Jeremiah show, and we can disagree strongly when our leaders promote wickedness, act in ungodly fashions, and seek to destroy rather than build up the welfare of the people who elected them.

 

Those who are convinced that Donald Trump is God’s great plan for America run the very great risk of also being swept up in the emotional and very powerful wave of adoration which is the reaction to the excessive hatred being pushed towards the president from those who oppose him. They can fall into the trap of subtly displacing God’s place as they succumb to the overwhelming thrust toward hero worship. The Psalms warns us not to put our trust in Princes (Ps. 146:3-6) and we have the story of Herod (Acts 12:21-23) to warn us against elevating anyone to the place of God in our minds or worldview.

 

Using the signposts of Scriptures, mature believers should

 

• adopt a measured approach to the current President of the United States. We are to avoid the pitfalls of hatred and animosity being pushed by the left as well as the reactionary wave of excessive adoration being promoted on the right.
• We are to provide the president with a source of guidance and wisdom if he requires it of us. As the example in the book of Daniel Shows, the King sometimes will require divine wisdom to inform his or her policies. Not only did Daniel oblige, but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood out for their wisdom and courage when these were demanded of them
• We are to be prepared to scold him if necessary when he strays from the path that benefits the American people. Despite our personal opinion of the President, believers may be asked by God to alert him to possible errors when choices are made which do not line up with Gods view of what is appropriate or good. Nathan, Jeremiah, Isiah and many other old Testament prophets had the unenviable task of admonishing the leaders of their day.
• We are to pray for the President and the leaders of the Government, 1 Timothy 2:1-3. If we adopt the left’s position, we are to resist the temptation to pray for evil to befall him, recognizing that Jesus instructed us to pray for those who ill treat us, or are our enemies in Matthew 5:44. Furthermore, we must understand that biblical principles show from the stories in the books of Kings and Chronicles that the leader’s actions can greatly impede or help the people whom he or she leads to progress or regress. Therefore, we must join with those who support him to pray that God’s will may be done in America through the president. We must pray with those who support him for God to use him to positively affect our lives and the rest of the people around the globe. Strength, wisdom, integrity, and courage are essential characteristics necessary for a leader to lead a nation rightly. We must pray for god to instill these characteristics in the president and leaders of the various organs of government.

 

 

Given these functions which believers may be called on to perform, it behoves us not to descend into hatred peddling nor mindless support for our President. We are to remain cognizant of our role as God’s channel to present him with good choices for himself and the American people. We cannot do this if we are spewing rabid hatred, nor can we be effective if we mindlessly follow where he leads. Instead, we can gain the president’s trust as well as those around us by being fair, courteous, honest and well informed when we speak to or about him publicly and privately. In short, as mature believers –we are to be the voice of faith and reason in this super charged, volatile political environment.