HAVE YOU READ 2 KINGS RECENTLY? Seat belts are recommended for your reading comfort.
Currently I’m reading about Jehu—the guy who drove his chariot like a maniac (2 Kings 9:20). Secretly anointed by the prophet Elisha to replace King Joram of Israel, Jehu sets in motion his own style of kingly transition. Get a bunch of Joram’s men on your side, then arrange a meeting with Joram and Ahaziah, king of Judah. Joram, a bit nervous, asks, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” Whereupon, Jehu draws his bow and shoots the king through the heart. While he’s at it, he has Ahaziah killed, then ties up the package by dispatching Jezebel, the queen mother, and we won’t go into those gory details. After at least 70 more royal deaths, Jehu settles down to rule Israel. He did destroy Baal worship in the land (in bloody fashion, of course), and God commended him for that. However,
“Jehu didn’t follow the Lord God of Israel with all his heart, for he continued to worship Jeroboam’s gold calves that had been the cause of such great sin in Israel.”
Makes our presidential transition look pretty benign, even with its rants, riots, and wreckage. Don’t know your take on the election, but it’s clear that God’s people MUST pray for President Trump, for the administration in general, and for the brokenness that is so evident in our land and world. I wonder if Jehu’s problem was the lack of praying people.
I am struck by the number of committed Christians,
either in his administration or serving as faith advisors. Trump appears to seek out these Elishas and is listening closely to what they have to say. I think all of us are leery of Trump’s rough-hewn and unpredictable manner. Might he and Jehu share DNA? But if God upset the applecart and made him president, then we as believers are impelled to hold up his arms as Aaron and Hur did for Moses.
That’s our job. If we do our part, God will accomplish what he wants with this…unconventional man.
Like Jehu, Trump’s spiritual moorings may be weak, but our prayers can help keep gold calves out of his line of vision.
How do you see yourself fitting into this political reality? I don’t much care if you’re gritting your teeth or cheering, as long as you pray. Leave a comment or email egus@me.com
Honestly, I never thought Donald J. Trump would ever be President of the United States. But God, in His infinite wisdom, did not consult me … because He has infinite wisdom. But now I’m curious to see how He plans to use this man. I pray every day for our current president and his team of advisers (as I have done for those who served before him), that they may seek the Lord and His will.
I also pray for peace for those filled with angst and anger. C. S. Lewis’s quote from The Screwtape Letters says it best:
“My Dear Wormwood,
Be sure that the patient remains completely fixated on politics. Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people they have never met serves as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control. Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration and general disdain towards the rest of the human race in order to avoid any kind of charity or inner peace from further developing. Ensure that the patient continues to believe that the problem is “out there” in the “broken system” rather than recognizing there is a problem with himself.
Keep up the good work,
Uncle Screwtape”
Excellent quote, Clarice! Says loud and clear exactly what’s happening now. Thanks for the comment!
God can, and will, use anyone he chooses for his purposes. Those purposes may not coincide with our hopes. See also, Rehoboam Nebuchadnezzar, et al. Indeed, we need to pray.
Correction – See also Rehoboam, Nebuchadnezzar, et al. (Punctuation counts.) 🙂
My opinion is that some people within our country are looking for something better, with good intentions. I believe a golden calf was chosen. Trump represents that leader. People in this country need to pray more. They need to know their God. Our country was founded upon God of whom we trust. God has been taken out of our schools and our children do not know who he is. People find it hard to believe in a God of whom they cannot see. Trump is the man they see and hear. Their eyes are blinded and their ears cannot hear. Is the Israelites traveled in the desert, they looked upon Moses. Moses believed in the god of Israel. The Jews in that day needed a vision. I quote Lazer Gurkow:
Corporeal Intermediary
Our ancestors were, in fact, not guilty of replacing G‑d but of making a corporeal image of G‑d, which is also prohibited but is not on par with outright idol worship. This behavior, though inexcusable, was, due to the circumstances, eminently understandable.4
Our ancestors lived in a world where all cultures related only to corporeal forms of deity. They believed that man must pay homage to G‑d and win His grace, but could not relate directly to an intangible deity. Man must therefore deify objects of his own making that represent his highest idea of the world-directing G‑dhead. These objects would then be invested by G‑d with divinity and become the bearers of man’s fate.
Interesting perspective Ellie. The OT is certainly chock full of people & events that, by comparison, are “far worse” than what we see today! I will be using the Book of Common Prayer to pray for this President, as I have prayed for past Presidents, because, as you say, “we MUST”. We have a choice of who to vote for, but once that is done, we are compelled to pray for the winner.
From The Book of Common Prayer, Prayers for National Life:
#19. For the President of the United States and all in Civil Authority
“O Lord our Governor, Whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to Your merciful care, that, being guided by Your Providence, we may dwell secure in Your peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do Your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in Your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.”
Carolyn, may your tribe increase! An excellent quote from the Book of Common Prayer! We/I don’t do enough of this.
Some well intentioned Christian leaders failed to remember that throughout the Bible God used some very imperfect individuals to lead His people. It took me many months to look beyond the Donald’s bluster and often used caustic rhetoric. Ultimately I rejected the cynical talking heads in the media and concluded that Trump is fundamentally a good and loving person who genuinely cares for people from all walks of life. He simply does not wear his faith on his sleeve and I have no problem with that.
Mr. Trump’s sword is his tongue. He has used it swiftly and without any filter many times. In contrast we had a POTUS for 8 years who was mostly polite and smiling. He presented this way
while destroying our Constitutional rights, turning his back on our allies and the most vulnerable and persecuted both here and abroad while aiding our enemies.
I also am encouraged with his selection of committed Christians as advisors and administrative staff. President Trump will be announcing his Supreme Court choice this week
We attended one of Franklin Graham’s prayer vigils in NH. It was sobering and powerful.
Everyone held hands and many tears were shed. God Bless America and the world.
I had not thought of Donald Trump in reference to any Biblical character; however, I have been reminding myself that God allowed him to become President and God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes. I have been in a Bible study by Beth Moore on the book of Daniel. God used those kings for His purposes and He will use President Trump for His purposes. I have never prayed much for our leaders other than just asking God to bless them and our country. But after seeing what has been happening, I have been deeply impressed that we must pray fervently for our country, our President and for God’s will even if what I see does not please me. We are commanded to do this. But our first priority is bringing the gospel to people and giving them the chance to receive Jesus as Saviour. As people turn to God, God will hear. Jesus never got involved in helping the Nation of Israel get out of bondage to Rome. However, He did everything, including giving His live to get us out of bondage to sin. Those disciples turned the world upside down by bringing the gospel message to so many and many received Jesus. The hope for our nation is not in who is President, but in Jesus changing people’s hearts.
AMEN!!! God–not the president–is in charge of our country. Thanks, Anne!