20 Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.
Trump to return to office
For the first time in American history since the election of 1892, a former President has won re-election after having been defeated once in a bid to return to the office.
But, Donald Trump, who served as the 45th President of the United States will get the opportunity to serve as the 47th, as the result of the election that ended yesterday.
After leading the White House race all night, Trump won the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania after also winning Georgia and North Carolina earlier. That third battleground victory pushed him to an official overall victory.
He delivered a victory speech shortly after AP called Pennsylvania on his behalf.
FoxNews.com reported that Trump said: "This was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There's never been anything like this in this country, and maybe beyond. And now it's going to reach a new level of importance because we're going to help our country heal..."
The article added:
Trump said that he will lead the "golden age of America" upon his inauguration.
"Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That's what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again," he said.
Trump, unlike his first election in 2016, won not only the Electoral College, but won the popular vote as well.
And, Republicans will be enjoying a Senate majority and are poised to maintain their small majority in the House, with still dozens of races yet to be called, according to Real Clear Politics. In Alabama, the contest in the redrawn 2nd Congressional District was won by former Justice Department official Shomari Figures over attorney Caroleene Dobson by 54-1/2 to 45-1/2%, a 9-point margin. The Congressman currently representing that district, Barry Moore, won the District 1 race.
Life on the ballot
Certainly, life was on the ballot - not only with regard to the choice of candidates who affirm the sanctity of life, but in 10 states, there were ballot measures dealing with the topic of abortion.
An effort that experts say would allow abortion in Florida throughout a woman's pregnancy fell short of the 60% threshold, garnering 57% of the vote. This paves the way for the state's 6-week ban to continue. Axios reported on other abortion measures:
Voters in New York, Maryland, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada and Arizona approved measures to expand or enshrine abortion access.
- Voters in Nebraska, which had to competing measures, rejected a measure to establish a right to abortion until fetal viability or later to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. The second measure, which passed, will enshrine the state's 12-week ban into its constitution.
- South Dakota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have established a constitutional right to abortion in the state using a trimester framework. It was the second state to reject an amendment this election cycle, with Florida being the first.
Those victories in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota end a win streak of pro-abortion outcomes in the two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. WSDK reported that there will possibly be legal action against the Missouri measure.
Did the Church turn out?
How strong was the evangelical Christian turnout? It may be too early to tell, but exit polling indicates, as reported by The Washington Post:
According to early exit polls, Catholic voters supported Trump over Harris by a double-digit margin. In 2020, Catholics backed Joe Biden, who would become America’s second Catholic president, by a five-point margin. In both years, about a quarter of voters were Catholic.The chart of the data apparently uses "evangelical" and "born-again" interchangeably. About one-fourth of voters indicate no religious preference.
Other religious groups were more similar to 2020. About 6 in 10 Protestants supported Trump over Harris, and they made up about 40 percent of the electorate. Just under 2 in 10 voters reported no religion, and they supported Harris by a 3-to-1 margin.
Trump’s strongest religious group were voters who identified as White born-again Christians, who represented about 2 in 10 voters. About 8 in 10 of them supported him nationally, similar to his margin in 2020.
...the outcome confirms American families are hungry to live in a nation where they can raise their children in an environment that is physically safe, economically viable, and where moms and dads and kids can unapologetically worship God. They believe parents – not politicians – have the authority to guide and direct their children’s education. They believe their daughters shouldn’t have to fear boys in their locker room – or face off against them in a woman’s sporting event. They’re fed up with politicians making common sense complex in an effort to confuse and advance an anti-family agenda.
Daly adds:
“Scripture commands Christians to pray for ‘all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Timothy 2:2), and so we must lift up the former and future president, as well as President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – and all those who are guiding and leading our nation."
Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship and A New Beginning, tweeted this out:
After winning the presidency, Donald Trump made this statement-“‘God spared my life for a reason — to save our country and restore America to greatness.”I believe this is true. America needs restoration. President Trump could have died so easily in the assassination attempts on his life, but God did indeed spare him. When President Ronald Reagan was shot early in his presidency, he too felt God had spared his life. The night Reagan returned to the White House he confided in his diary, “Whatever happens now I owe my life to God and will serve Him every way I can.” Ronald Reagan went on have one of the greatest presidencies in American history.Let’s pray now for President Trump that he will be surrounded by godly and competent people who will give him good counsel in the days ahead. God bless President Trump and God bless the United States of America!
James Dobson Family Institute issued a statement, which said, in part:
- Trump effectively put together a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition that rejects the racial identity politics that has been used by the neo-Marxist left to divide our country.
- President-elect Trump reiterated last night that he believes God saved him from the assassin’s bullet because He has something He wants Trump to do. The president-elect believes God wants him to unite the country, heal our divisions, and restore the American dream. To do that, Christians must continue to engage the culture and the public square.
- Over the next four years, the freedom of speech and religion will be strengthened rather than undermined. Parental rights will be defended, and the U.S./Israel alliance will be strengthened.
Troy Miller, President and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, offered congratulations to Trump; from NRB & stated:
"As a candidate, President Trump addressed the NRB Convention in February 2024 and articulated a vision for protecting and uplifting faith in America. We commend this worthy aim and look forward to combining efforts to safeguard free expression, support America’s spiritual welfare, and fight against religious persecution.
"We congratulate all newly elected and reelected members of Congress, and we look forward to working with the 119th Congress to maintain access for Christian communicators and support a favorable business environment for the religious broadcasting industry.
"NRB will continue its historic work of representing Christian communicators in the Nation’s capital, defending against threats to free speech, and advocating First Amendment freedoms through legal, legislative, regulatory, and media engagement."
Franklin Graham posted on Facebook:
Congratulations to Donald J. Trump on being elected the 47th president of the United States of America! I pray that you will look to God every day for His guidance and wisdom.
Abby Johnson, in an e-mail from And Then There Were None:
"Americans were tired of being gaslit about our grocery and gas bills. We were tired of being told that grown men can be women and women can be men. We were tired of being called fascists because we have traditional values. We were tired of abortion on demand being celebrated. This election was a resounding victory for life, for the values that we hold true, and for human decency and dignity. Americans ultimately stood up to the bullies and I'm hopeful for our future as a nation."
So, the takeaways for this election - we have prayed, and we should continue to do so. There was a sense that the Church was galvanized to participate in this election. After years of polling data that shows that Christians did not participate, there was a renewed and passionate call for the Church to rise up. Now, as we prayed yesterday, we pray today and in the days to come for our leadership.