Friday, November 11, 2016

The 2016 Presidential Race and Now What? (Nov. 11, 2016)

        The 2016 Presidential campaign, and election itself, is one for the record books.  Not much was predictable and not much followed any type of normal pattern.  Donald Trump, to the surprise of many, was elected the 45th President of the United States defeating Hillary Clinton.  The bitterness of the campaign was unprecedented.  Many expressed their shame for the state of our country because of things being said, the immorality and dishonesty of the candidates, the underhandedness of supporters and the political parties, and their surrogates.  Well, it is all over now; so is it time to rest?  Is it time to relax?  No; it is now time for believers to get serious about prayer for our new leaders, the ones who lost, and for our country as a whole.
          There are many things we must keep in perspective.  Donald Trump may have been a better alternative than Hillary Clinton, but he is a deeply flawed individual with a sin nature that expresses itself in many different ways.  Many of the things he has said and done are deeply concerning to many Americans.  He, like all the rest of us, has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  He will be tempted and tested by foreign governments, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, his advisors, problems that are foreseen and problems that are unforeseen.  It is unimaginable that any human being would enter the Presidency without being committed to daily prayer for guidance.  We as the church of the Lord Jesus need to pray for Donald Trump and for his entire family who will be under vehement attack from now on.  Pray he nominates conservative Supreme Court Justices, works to protect the rights of the unborn, and represents conservative American values, but especially biblical values.  Pray that if he does not truly have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that he gives his whole life to Him.
          We need to pray for those who will serve in the next administration.  Pray for Cabinet leaders, advisers, and support staffs that are vitally important to the President’s success and the overall success of our country.  We need to pray for a smooth transition leading up to the next administration.
          We need to lift up Hillary Clinton in prayer.  I am sure she is devastated in her defeat.  Let us not forget she is a human being.  I say that because, so many of my fellow Americans and fellow believers have been utterly cruel to her since losing the race last Tuesday.  While she may be a political enemy to many, she is still a human being created in the image of God and in need of either developing a personal relationship with Christ or very serious revival.  She has a serial problem with lying and hunger for fulfillment through gaining of power.  Instead of hating her for those things, why not pray for her.  She has already begun to fade from the national spotlight and soon, she will resume life as a private citizen, but her needs remain.  I would ask my fellow Christians if they can really justify not praying for her?  I went through many stages of emotion where Hillary was concerned, including dislike, fear, disbelief, almost hatred, but finally sorrow.  In the weeks leading up to the election, I had made peace in my heart that she was probably going to win, however I began feeling sorrow for her as I thought about what a high premium she put on an earthly office or political position but showed almost no evidence of care or concern for the most important thing of all – a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
          We need to pray for our country.  It is deeply divided, perhaps more than at any other time since the Civil War.  Americans are totally embittered against other Americans.  The divisions have been precipitated by two deeply flawed candidates running against one another with such high negative ratings and unlikability.  More than perhaps in any other Presidential election Americans went into the voting booths and voted “against” someone rather than “for” someone.  Since Trump’s victory, there have been protests on college campuses and in the streets of major cities with marchers chanting vile things like “f**k Donald Trump” even though he won a decisive victory in the Electoral College.  Clinton, evidently won a majority of the popular vote, which is concerning in itself, when you consider her overall character and the things the WikiLeaks email releases revealed about her and her attempts to subvert the law, and yet still a majority of Americans cast their vote with her to be President.  It is astounding in a deeply disturbing way.  It strongly supports the supposition that America has lost its moral compass.  Our nation needs prayers!
          I have a very big caution for all those who voted for Trump and are now breathing a sigh of relief.  Now is not the time to relax, nor is it time to start believing that our country is going to get back on the right track.  No matter whether we have had Republican Presidents or Democratic Presidents, our country has been moving in the wrong direction for a long time.  Those we disagree with as conservatives, which is at least half the nation, are not going to suddenly fall in line, any more than conservatives fell in line when we were moving by leaps and bounds toward a socialistic state.  Christ is still going to return at His appointed hour and the end of time will come.  No matter what political party controls The White House or Congress.  Jesus told his followers that His Kingdom was not of this world.  Christians need to keep that in perspective as we move into the days ahead.

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor


No comments:

Post a Comment