One True Hope

This is the first full day of a new Presidency, and it is not only a significant day for Americans, but Christians possess a variety of hopes in the political realm over the next four years. But, hopefully, we have to continue to recognize where our ultimate hope lies. In Romans 15, Paul writes:
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Later in the chapter, we can read this verse:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Among many in America, there is a sense of anticipation about the second Presidency of Donald Trump. He intentionally sought out the Christian vote, and in election polling, Christians were influential in bringing the former President a victory.  

Franklin Graham, in his prayer at the inauguration yesterday, according to The Christian Post, said:

“Mr. President, the last four years, there are times I’m sure you thought it was pretty dark, but look what God has done. We praise Him and give Him glory.” The article went on to say:

Graham’s prayer drew on verses from Psalms, Daniel and Samuel to emphasize God’s sovereignty over nations and leaders. He called on God to grant Trump wisdom and strength, likening Trump’s leadership to the biblical figure Moses: “You and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by your mighty hand,” Graham prayed.

The President himself echoed that sentiment in his Inaugural Address, stating, according to The Christian Post:

"Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and, indeed, my life ... I believed then, and I believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason."

"I was saved by God to make America great again," he asserted.

He also stated a theme that is rooted in Scripture, saying: "From today forward, it will be the official policy of the United States to recognize only two genders: male and female..."

The benediction was led by Lorenzo Sewell, Pastor of the 180 Church in Detroit.  The Detroit Free-Press reported:

In his benediction, Sewell spoke of a "millimeter miracle," referring to a would-be assassin's bullet that grazed Trump's ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last summer and prayed to God, "We are grateful you are the one who has called him for such a time as this, that America would begin to dream again."

"We pray that you use our president that we will live in a nation where we'll not be judged by the color or our skin but by the content of our character," boomed Sewell, invoking the words from King's speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. "We are grateful today that you would use our 47th president so we would sing with new meaning, 'our country 'tis of thee.' "

On Sunday, a Inauguration Praise & Prayer Convocation was hosted by Well Versed and Family Research Council. Those two ministries are headed by Faith Radio programmers Jim Garlow and Tony Perkins, respectively. At the event, according to The Washington Stand, Garlow stated:

“This is an event that is going to be primarily vertical. We’re talking to God, a holy, righteous, just God from a nation that desperately needs the touch of this God..."

He added, “If believers in America could see where our nation is spiritually, we would have had to have rented Northwest Stadium, which seats 91,000, for this prayer meeting. This is a time where a remnant has gathered here to intercede on behalf of our nation.” He also said, “This is not a hood ornament that’s on the car that looks nice but does nothing. Prayer is the guiding force.”

The article also noted: 

Perkins led those gathered in praying for God’s presence in Washington, D.C. and for elected leaders to be guided by courage and virtue. He began, “We want to right now welcome the presence of the Lord into this city. Jesus is Lord over this nation. Welcome his presence into Washington, D.C. He’s been driven out. Welcome him back. Lord, we welcome you.” He continued, “We invite your presence into every building, every agency. We invite you, Lord. You’ve been driven out. We welcome you, Lord Jesus. We welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit. We welcome you, Lord. This is your city. This is your nation. We open the door.”

Throughout yesterday, the new President signed a variety of executive orders, including two that were noted by the Alliance Defending Freedom as the "Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship and Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government" acts.

ADF CEO, President, and General Counsel Kristen Waggoner responded by saying that under the previous administration...

"...federal officials established a censorship regime that aimed to shut down so-called ‘misinformation’ and any other speech that is unfavorable to the government. It also weaponized the law against American citizens, including colluding with Big Banks to surveil Americans’ private financial data and target them as ‘threats’ based solely on their speech. President Trump’s call to dismantle these tools of repression is something every American—and every other freedom-loving person—should celebrate.

“Since its founding, America has been a beacon of liberty for the world. As governments across the West have increasingly succumbed to the ideology of wokeism, enforced by censorship, it is even more imperative that United States chart a different course.

“We hope this order will be the first step to restoring free speech as a core value of our constitutional republic—and of the free world.”

The Christian Post related that:

Trump called his inauguration “liberation day” and assured Americans “we will not forget our country, we will not forget our Constitution, and we will not forget our God.”

As we continue to hold on to our one true hope, we can pray for the President and his administration to follow through on that, exercising godly wisdom and being true the principles that are found in the Scriptures. 

While there was certainly a faith element in some of the proceedings yesterday, and high-profile Christian leaders were joyous participants, we have to remember that the President is under tremendous pressure - he needs our prayers. He will make decisions that do not line up with Biblical principles, and he should be held accountable.  And, Christians should anticipate that he will make decisions that affirm our deeply-held Biblical values, and we can rejoice.  With the weight of the world seemingly on His shoulders, we can pray that Mr. Trump will turn to the one who holds the earth in His powerful, steady hands.