One of the most heated presidential elections in our nation’s history has ended and Donald Trump will now be America’s 47th president. This extraordinary election season was one like no other. The much anticipated rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden was derailed after Biden’s disastrous June debate performance revealed to the world his declining mental condition. The main stream media and the Democratic party had tried their best to hide his condition from the public but the cat was now out of the bag. On July 21st, after much prodding Biden dropped out of the race.
Vice president, Kamala Harris was picked to run in his place. The problem with that was she was “picked” by Democrat party elites and not by the voters. Choosing Biden’s second in command seemed the logical thing to do. But, when you consider that Harris was not in her post because of her abilities, accomplishments or being popular (she did not win a single delegate when she ran for president) but because Biden had promised to have a black woman as his VP.
Harris did raise an enormous amount of money (over a billion dollars) and out spend Trump nearly 3 to 1 throughout October. With that huge cash advantage, the backing of a host of celebrities and the bulk of the media in her corner, her chances seemed bright.
Almost all of the experts and all of the polls predicted a close race but with Harris winning. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Trump didn’t just win- it was a political bloodbath. He not only won the electoral college 312-226, he also won the popular vote by over 3,000,000 votes. Trump’s popularity also carried Republicans to victories in the Senate and the House.
Perhaps ever more impressive, he increased his share of the vote in virtually every one of the nation’s 3,143 counties. In decisively winning his second term in the Oval Office, President-elect Trump forged a truly impressive multi-ethnic coalition and increased his share of the vote with women, Hispanics and Blacks.
Trump has accomplished a political resurrection that most thought was impossible. He has secured his place in history as only the second man to come back and win the presidency after previously been defeated after one term in office.
The Republican Party is now the party of blue-colar workers. These are everyday people who felt neglected by the Democratic Party elites and liberal pundits who disparaged them as deplorables, garbage, racists and marxist when they disagreed with Democrat policy positions.
Immigration and inflation were issues that hit home to those voters who did not believe the “everything is great” lie they where being told over and over again by the people in power. Another issue that most Americans were fed up with was the woke agenda being pushed down their throats by the Left. Exit polls showed 7 in 10 Americans believed the country was on the wrong track.
Pastor Greg Laurie recently delivered a message claiming President-elect Trump received a “mandate” from the American people to lead the country in a new direction.
“Americans are tired of this crazy, woke agenda we’ve been dealing with for the last four years,” Laurie stated. “We’re done with it: promoting late term abortions, mutilating our children, men in women’s sports, men in women’s bathrooms. The list goes on and I believe that God has placed President Trump in office for such a time as this.”
He went on to explain that he was referencing what Mordecai told his cousin Easter when she found herself elevated to a position of political power as queen in ancient Persia.
“This is a man who has faced incredible challenges, two assassination attempts, and he himself has said publicly he believes that God has spared him, and I believe he’s right.”
While over half of America agrees with Laurie’s assessment that Trump has a mandate to make major changes, many of the people who voted for Harris are experiencing shock and are in a state of fear over what the next four years will bring. Some are threatening to leave the country. Others are encouraging women to withhold sex if their men voted for Trump. Still others are demanding that family members isolate themselves from loved ones who voted for Trump.
Without a doubt there will be much more weeping and gnashing of teeth as Trump picks his cabinet and announces his strategy to accomplish the things he ran on further dividing an already deeply divided country.
In a recent article for Christianity Today, Julien C.H. Smith looked to Paul’s letter to the Romans for guidance on how to deal with such division in a way that honors God and those with whom we disagree.
He notes that, for the first-century church in Rome, the division between Gentile and Jewish Christians over issues like the dietary laws threatened to tear the community apart. Both sides were convinced that not only were they correct, but the other side was simply too ignorant and obstinate to see the truth.
Does that sound familiar?
Christ has called us to overcome evil with good; to be the light of the world. We cannot do this if we return anger for anger.
As Christians we must remember that people are more than their politics. To be sure, there are some “crazies” out there who have made politics their new religion. But most people have a better grasp on reality than that and how they voted should not define the way we see them.
There is a great opportunity ahead for our country to unite, heal it’s wounds and accomplish many good things. But it will not come to pass without coming together for the greater good of our country. Our battle was not over when Trump won. It is really just beginning. Christians need to get on their knees and pray as never before.
Please pray for our nation and our president:
Pray for President Trump to seek God’s wisdom and to lead with biblical priorities and a servant’s heart.
And for God to use him to unify our nation and protect him and his administration from evil and to empower them for good (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Pray for Congress and our elected leaders to be men and women of godly character who set aside personal and partisan agendas to work together for the common good (John 13:14).
Pray for America’s Christians and Christian leaders to be people of prayer, humility and grace and that we be empowered to speak the truth to our fallen culture in love (Acts 4:29-31).
Pray for all Americans to honor our leaders, love each other, and “fear God” (1 Peter 2:17).