Ever since the early church was scattered due to persecution (recorded in the book of Acts), the Body of Christ has actually grown in the midst of hardship. When our ministry began to partner with Christians in Nepal almost thirty years ago, Christianity had been expanding amidst persecution in this Hindu nation. Many were coming to faith in Jesus because miracles were taking place, the believers were tightly knit, and the Holy Spirit was moving in a mighty way. There are other examples through time—in recent decades including places like China and the Middle East.
What about the church in America? One could easily argue that miracles are scarce, faith is weak, the Body is not unified, and the Holy Spirit has been discarded. So, would a Hillary Clinton or a Donald Trump presidency bring revival to the church? It could be reasoned that the Body of Christ would have met more resistance under Mrs. Clinton’s leadership than under Mr. Trump’s, and maybe that would’ve been a good thing for developing faith. Time will tell with President-elect Trump, but I have a different set of concerns for him and for the church. More on this in a minute.
I spent much time praying and contemplating over who to vote for, and I came to the conclusion that the conviction of my heart was to cast a write-in vote that I knew would not be counted. I had to do what brought peace to my heart. I did not trust either candidate based on their previous words and deeds. However, either candidate would have my prayers going forward as president. I would pray for them the same way I pray for myself—to grow closer to God, to make wise decisions, and to be found faithfully serving others.
So let me make this clear: I believe that God could have used either Mr. Trump or Mrs. Clinton as president. The Bible is full of stories of good and bad kings and rulers. The Lord was sovereign over all of them and their countries, regardless of their character flaws. He also uses me in a smaller way despite my many shortcomings.
Since the day after the election was decided in favor of Mr. Trump, I have been very burdened by what I have been witnessing. It seems that Christians in general—and evangelicals in particular—are beyond ecstatic. They believe we have been granted a reprieve from God’s judgment (due to our steady drift from Him), a stay of execution if you will. Because Mr. Trump was elected, they believe he will make things right again. Despite many troubling words and actions from his past and present, it seems that “happy days are here again” for the Bible-believing Christian. Just as President Obama was seen as a Savior by many on the left, the same is now true for many on the right (I am painting with broad, stereotypical strokes here to make a point).
Count me as one of those people who has a heavy prophetic burden for America. Specifically, God has directed me to be a voice of admonition and warning mainly to fellow Christians, much more so than to the secular world. After all, Jesus is returning one day for His bride, the church. And in America, most believers don’t seem to be ready—not at all. I’m now deeply concerned that we may be in worse shape spiritually after the next four to eight years compared to today. I fear with Mr. Trump’s election that followers of Christ may be lulled into an even deeper sleep than we are in right now. Over the last half century, we have allowed much of what we hold as sacred truth to be eroded away by a growing godless majority. We do indeed now live in a post-Christian America, and much of the church has been too comfortable to care.
What now? I have read about words of prophecy, dreams, and visions about Mrs. Clinton being elected, about Mr. Trump being elected, and about President Obama staying in office. By January 20th, two-thirds of these prophecies should turn out wrong. People in the wrong will then realize that their own biases, fears, or what they ate for dinner the previous night were what was really influencing their “spiritual” predictions, not the Lord.
Perhaps something politically earth-shattering will happen by the inauguration. Time will tell soon enough. There could also be a deadly terrorist attack or catastrophic natural disaster that may occur at any time and have everything or nothing to do with who is the current president. This too could alter the course of our nation forever.
My warning to you, dear reader, is to be very wary. Seek out the truth in this heavily biased and flawed nation. Don’t assume President-elect Trump is the best thing for America if you voted for him. Don’t assume President-elect Trump is the worse thing for America if you didn’t vote for him. Pray diligently that he would seek the Savior with his whole heart. Pray that God would protect him and use him greatly. And pray these same prayers for the Body of Christ in America before it’s too late to save our country. May we grow stronger in our faith regardless of what happens in the days ahead.
It is with a disappointed heart that I say I can only agree with your last 4 sentences.