Okay, so "your guy" didn't get elected and "the wrong guy" did. What now? What's a person to do? What's a Christian to do? I've heard news and talk of protest and even armed insurrection. Do we lie down like a doormat or rise up and fight and, if the latter, how? What does the Bible say? Oddly enough, as it turns out Trump is in the Bible. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor 15:52) Of course, we don't know if Donald is the last Trump, so ...
I am, of course, kidding. Donald Trump, democracy, the United States, these things are not in there, so what is in there? What does the Bible suggest we do? Better yet, what does God's Word command?
Written by Apostles living under worse governments than we've ever encountered here, we find things like, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment" (Rom 13:1-2) and "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the [presidents] as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good." (1 Peter 2:13-14) In that last one, Peter goes on to write, "For this is the will of God" (1 Peter 2:15) followed by "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the [president]." (1 Peter 2:17) It appears that the Bible has very different ideas than our "armed insurrection" leanings. That's because God's Word sees God as Sovereign and not kings, presidents, or even voters, so we don't place our trust in them, but in Him. But you knew this was coming, at least from me, right?
So surely there's something more, something better. There is. We are to "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." (1 Peter 2:16) As such, our recourse is clear. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for [presidents] and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim 2:1-4) Many of us would like to take our grievances to the nation. Many would like to protest the results. Fine. Many are even considering violent, even armed response. Not so fine. But the underlying issue is a deep and abiding concern that what Scripture says about government -- "for your good" (Rom 13:4-5) and "sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good" (1 Peter 2:14), a "peaceful and quiet life" (1 Tim 2:2) -- just might not happen. In fact, very likely won't happen. This current regime is leaning toward repressing freedom of religious exercise rather than praising those who do good. They're leaning toward calling good evil, in fact. So what are we to do?
Pray. Pray for those in leadership. Pray for those in office. Pray for law enforcement. Pray for the people. Pray for the hearts of the government and the hearts of the people. It's interesting that when Paul commands us to pray for government, the reason he gives for doing so is because God desires all to be saved. Apparently, then, your personal comfort is not in view here; the salvation of others is. Or, to put it another way, our idea of "good" isn't always the same as God's idea of good. So who are you going to trust?
Many are deeply concerned about the direction we're going. Biblically we have a mandate. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Php 4:6-7) Have trust in God. Expect Him to work all things together for good. Understand that He is good, that all He does is good, and that our version of "good" is often misguided. So pray. Pray for the government. Pray for each other. Pray that God will guard your heart. And practice. Practice honoring others. Practice doing good. Just before that passage I just quoted, Paul says, "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone" because "The Lord is at hand." (Php 4:5) We don't have to panic. We don't have to be angry. We don't have to worry. We don't have to rally to God's defense. We have something much more difficult to do. Have faith in God. He is at hand.
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