Praying for Politicians
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
For the first time in my life, an attempt was made to take the life of a former/current president of the United States. (Initially, I thought I was alive during President Reagan's assassination attempt but it occurred a couple years before I was born.) Much has been said and written about this already but this is my first opportunity to share any of my thoughts with you.
As I mentioned last Sunday prior to the prayer in church, Prince of Peace is a purely non-partisan church. We do no endorse candidates or parties. I will never tell you whom to vote for or against. That is not my role as your pastor, nor is it our role as a church. We have members who are registered Democrats and Republicans and everything in between. Some of you have even commented that you can't tell what my political affiliation is by how I talk in Bible classes and private discussions. That's probably a good thing.
At the same time, that doesn't mean we won't discuss and wrestle over topics most would consider 'political.' Because the truth is, many of them are actually spiritual topics. God has much to say in His Word about human sexuality, gender, and roles of men and women. God is clear about the value of every human life and that He alone is the One who decides when life begins and ends. God's Word guides us and informs us when it comes to how we view the homeless (help them as you're able), taxes (pay them to support those who give their full time to governing), money and the economy (be generous with others so that you don't fall in love with money). And yet, our Lord never mandates a certain way those things must be done or specific policies we should support to get them done. He simply wants them done and calls on His Christians to carry them out. In other words, if God lays it out in His Word, then it is there for us to digest, discuss, learn, and believe, regardless of whether or not someone else has attached the adjective 'political' to it.
I know some of you wish I/we were more political. Others have told me they shy away from certain things at church because they get too political. (Some probably won't even make it this far into the email for that very reason.) Those are all probably good things, too. That seems to imply we're somewhere in the middle, which is typically a good place to be theologically.
So what do we say about the event that took place last week with former President Trump? On the surface that event was as political as it gets. It was at a political rally and involved a politician who recently accepted a political party's nomination to run for the highest political office of the United States. (Just to say his name is probably too political for some of you.) But I think Scripture has some things to say to us which means these are also spiritual concerns and we should listen.
If you cannot condemn the attempt to assassinate President Trump, you don't have a political problem. You have a soul problem. Repent.
Again, I'm not saying you have to vote for the man, and know that I would be writing this same exact email if shots were fired at our current president, too. Far from wishing harm to politicians--especially as those whom God has put in authority over us--God calls us to honor (4th Commandment; Romans 13) and pray for them. The Apostle Paul gives these instructions to Timothy: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The 'kings' (e.g. Roman Caesars, King Herod, etc.) Paul is referencing were far more godless than any president America has ever had. And yet the encouragement remains: honor them by praying for them. So pray for President Biden when he gets COVID and seems to show signs of cognitive decline. And pray for President Trump when bullets are aimed his way. Lord, have mercy on these men and all our elected leaders. Give them wisdom and guidance, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Lord, have mercy on us when we dishonor our leaders by finding joy in their suffering.
President Trump is not and will not be the savior of our country.
Again (again, again, again!) that doesn't mean you can't vote for him! But that word 'savior' ought to carry some pretty weighty significance for us as Christians and we should not be hasty in applying it to others. This was one of Israel's major blindspots in the Old Testament. They wanted a king--not just because all the other nations had a king--because it was easier to put their hope and trust in an earthly man rather than their God and King above. This seems to be what inspired the important words of Psalm 146 which still apply to us today: "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever" (Psalm 146:3-6). Princes cannot save. Jesus does. When princes die, their plans come to nothing. When Jesus died, sins are forgiven and heaven is opened. When we keep that perspective as Christians, it allows us to participate in the political arena without becoming overly emotional or crushed under its weight.
I don't know if it was a miracle that the bullet missed President Trump, but I don't think we can/should say it definitively was.
I guess it all depends on how you define the word 'miracle.' Some people say a miracle is something "only God can do." That's probably an okay definition but there are plenty of examples in Scripture of people doing things described as being 'miraculous.' God, of course, is always behind them, granting the power and authority to do them but the individual is still credited with the act (e.g. Moses parting the Red Sea, disciples and apostles healing people). I think the best definition is probably something like, "an act that happens outside the natural order of things." The laws of physics say you can't walk on water, but Jesus (and Peter!) did and it was a miracle. A couple pieces of bread and fish are not enough to feed a crowd of 5,000+ people (let alone to fill twelve basketfuls of leftovers!), but they were for Jesus who multiplied them and it was a miracle.
So we can talk about the 'miracle' of childbirth. And yet as awesome and wonderful as childbirth is, is it really a miracle? Is it something that happens outside the natural order of things? Not at all. It's actually one of the most common and fundamental processes of life (Law of Biogenesis). Likewise, is a fired bullet missing its target a 'miracle'? No, not really. Now, if the bullet had suddenly stopped in mid-air or took a radical 90 degree turn to miss the president? Yeah, that would be out of the ordinary for a bullet and could/should probably be labeled as a miracle.
Does it even matter? I think so. Because everyone (including even irreligious people) attaches a 'miracle' to God (or a 'higher power'). So to definitively label this event as a miracle is to definitively tie it to God. And while I don't intend to downplay God's role, here's how I've heard it play out: "God spared Trump's life with a miracle, therefore God obviously wants him to be the next president." I don't think this is the intended conclusion by everyone who labeled the event as a miracle, but it can encourage people to make that conclusion when God clearly hasn't. Perhaps we should just save that word for things God Himself calls 'miraculous.'
Finally, in this highly political season, Christians have the unique opportunity and responsibility to share the "hope that is in [us]." Don't pass it up.
One of the many blessings that came out of the nine months we spent in the hospital with our son, was the daily opportunities to share our faith with the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff with whom we came in contact. Sometimes that happened directly--word spread pretty quickly throughout the hospital that I was a pastor and that we were Christians and people asked us about our faith. But most of the time, however, it happened indirectly. For example, when the nurses observed how calm and strong Missy remained when bad news was shared or Finneas had a set back, they observed something that wasn't normal for a parent in that situation. And they would ask, "How do you do it?"
Many of you have asked me a similar question from the flip side when I've visited you in the hospital or counseled you through something tragic: "Pastor, how do people endure things like this without Jesus?" In both cases, we're talking about what Peter describes in 1 Peter 3:15-16: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience."
Why can't we carry that same inward hope of Christ from the hospital room to the political arena? Whether it's directly referencing how we pray for a specific political candidate--even when, especially when we did not vote for him--to our friends who are so comfortable bashing him. Or it's indirectly remaining calm and strong when things are politically falling apart in our country and our friends and neighbors along with them, friends and neighbors who have (knowingly or unknowingly) put too much hope in princes. Our peaceful confidence in Christ our King should lead people to ask us, "How do you do it?" when political chaos surrounds us.
Sadly, the only connection most make between politics and Christians these days is Christian nationalism. Regardless of what you think about that phrase or topic, I think we have something better to offer our neighbors and our country. We can approach the throne of the Almighty with names and candidates and issues and policies, laying them all at the feet of Jesus, to whom has been given all authority, honor, and praise. We can calmly and confidently strive to show the hope that is in us by keeping things in the proper perspective: Christ lives and rules all things, even over the American political landscape. God grant us these for your names' sake!
In Christ our King,
Pastor Bater