Late in the evening of November 5, it became increasingly clear that Donald J. Trump, the forty-fifth president of the United States, would also become its forty-seventh. Pollsters had predicted a neck-and-neck race, but the outcome was far from close. Despite allegations of wrongdoing on his part, Trump won by a clear margin.
At 2:30 the next morning, Trump declared victory from his Mar-a-Lago estate, remarking that his triumph was “the greatest political movement of all time.” He secured an impressive 312 electoral votes and was the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years. Additionally, he is the first president since Grover Cleveland, in 1892, to win two non-consecutive terms.
Not only did Trump take the presidency, but the Republican party now has majority control of the House, Senate, and Supreme Court—known as a federal trifecta. As one article states, “Mr. Trump’s conservative Christian coalition will have power at the highest levels of all three branches of government.”
Mixed Reviews
Many Americans are excited about a second Trump presidency and what it will bring to the nation. Some conservative Christians believe his victory to be God-ordained. In his victory speech, Trump said, “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason. And that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness.” He has also promised a “new era of Christian power.”
Other American citizens have a decidedly different view. They are concerned about a perceived threat to democracy from a politician who, they say, promised to be a dictator only on day 1, has been impeached twice, and is burdened by numerous felony charges and sex scandals. They believe Trump campaigned on anger, hate, and lies.
Despite what some feared, widespread outbreaks of violence have not followed the election—all the same, it has revealed deep divides within the American psyche. We are a people divided by our values, goals, prejudices, fears, and ambitions.
As Bible-believing Christians who aim to live by the truth Scripture reveals and look forward to the soon return of Christ, how should we respond to a new president and the political division we see around us?
Should We Fear?
No. First and foremost, we need not fear what the future may hold.
The prophet Daniel lived under regimes that clearly did not uphold biblical values. Yet he praised God, proclaiming, “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. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him” (Daniel 2:21, 22).
If Daniel could celebrate God’s goodness even as an exile in a foreign land, surely we, too, can trust our Father to care for us and guide political affairs as He sees best. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1).
Should We Celebrate?
No. Trump’s win is not a cause for celebration any more than a loss would have been. Why? Because a politician can never be a savior in this world of trouble. Politicians are, at most, fallen individuals used by the Almighty for the accomplishment of heaven’s purposes.
Daniel tells us that God intervenes in the affairs of humanity “in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Does that mean that God set Trump in power? Not necessarily. But it does mean that God allowed it and that we can trust Him to bring about just what is needed in our world.
As the old song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a’passing through.” Let’s celebrate the things that truly matter—truth proclaimed, lives transformed, and divisions healed!
Look Up!
When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate in the final hours of His life, He explained something to the Roman governor that should always guide our politics: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).
Every born-again Christian is a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. Our allegiance is not to earthly rulers or political parties. Our political ties must never supersede our loyalty to Christ or our spiritual bonds of love with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The apostle Paul urged the Corinthian believers to allow “no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). He was not asking them all to think exactly the same way. Instead, Paul was urging them to lay differences aside and focus on the things that really matter: transformation of life through Christ and sharing Him with others.
Jesus’ words to the disciples are especially applicable to us today: “When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. … But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:31, 34–36).
Let’s not let politics divide us. Instead, let’s refocus our attention on the things that matter for eternity. Let’s look up to our Savior and make sure that He alone is Lord of our lives. Let’s set aside time to meditate on God’s Word and pray for the lost. Let’s gather with our Christian brethren to worship God and work for the salvation of others. Let’s invest our time and resources in spreading the three angels’ messages.
These are the things that truly matter—and that will bring healing to our nation and, more important, to our churches.