January 2017 Newsletter

FROM PASTOR MEYER’S DESK: It was a brutal battle – one that could very easily have gone either way.  The participants were well-equipped and well-prepared to engage the enemy.  Spears and arrows were sharpened; cannons were loaded; the troops were summoned and assembled for what may go down in history as “The Battle of the Ages.”

Unlike most conflicts, however, this one was not fought with literal weapons on a literal battlefield in some remote corner of our world.  Rather this all-out war was fought with words and ideologies and worldviews and it took place right here on American soil and it was broadcast every day on television, radio, and the Internet.  It was ugly at times, disgusting at others, and it left many Americans scratching their heads and wondering, “Can’t we do better than this?” And when all was said and done and the smoke began to clear, even more Americans were left pondering the thought: “Did I think what happened really happen or was I just dreaming?  Did a billionaire and a former reality show star actually get elected to become the 45th President of the United States?”  And the answer to that question is “Yes.”  Regardless of how you feel about Donald Trump, in just a few weeks, on January 20, he will join the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan and be inaugurated as the one who will occupy the Oval Office in the White House for at least the next four years.

To some of you, that prospect is one of the most frightening ones to come down the pike in many years.  To others of you, it brings a sense of relief because you were afraid of what the future would hold for America if Hillary Clinton had been elected.  Regardless of who won this battle/election that many of us thought would never end, I would have said the same thing that I’m about to say right now in this article:  That person needs our prayers.

I’ve often said that I don’t know how or why anyone in their right mind would want to hold this highest office of our land.  The pressure, the stress, the decisions that must be made every single day; the endless travelling, the constant security, the potential danger that dogs the President and his family day in and day out are certainly not for the faint of heart.  So while I know I would never aspire to the presidency, I am grateful for those who do and who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be the person who is arguably the most powerful individual in the world.

The week after the election I had an Elders meeting.  And as I thought about what I could say in my opening devotion that night, my thoughts were still on the election, so I asked them the following question: “If you could have a personal audience with President-elect Donald Trump, what would you want to say to him?  What words of wisdom would you like to pass on to him?”  We chewed on that a bit and discussed it.  And then I took them to Joshua 1:7-9 where God speaks some amazing words to Joshua as he takes over the leadership of Israel following the death of Moses.  He says: Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I thought those would be the words I would want to share with Mr. Trump.  I would want to encourage him to be strong and courageous by staying close to God and using His Word (what God calls in that passage “the Book of the Law”) as his compass and guide each and every day.

I then closed my devotion with a prayer that I wrote for Donald Trump – a prayer that I would like to share with you now and encourage you to add to the prayers that you offer for him as he assumes the office of the presidency in just a few weeks:.

 

Lord, we pray for our President-elect Donald Trump. Though he has demonstrated throughout the presidential campaign that he is far from perfect, we confess that none of us is either.  He has his weaknesses and frailties – no doubt about it.  Which is all the more reason why he needs our prayers.  So as Christian Americans we come to you and ask you to give him the necessary skills to not just run this country, but to do what he said he wanted to do throughout his campaign, and that is to make America great again.  For indeed we have fallen in many ways over the past few decades: financially, educationally, morally, spiritually. We have lost jobs.  We have lost our unity.  We have lost our common sense.  We have lost the respect of the other countries of the world.  Put simply, we have lost our way, Lord.  So we need a President who can help us reclaim what we have lost and get us back on the right track again.  We pray that Donald Trump will be that kind of President; that he will surround himself with wise, capable, and godly advisors and that he and our Congress will be able to work together in ways far greater than we have ever seen before.  Keep your hand on President Trump’s shoulder and direct his every thought, his every word, his every deed, and his every decision.  Surround him and his family with your protection because from the mindless protests that we saw following his election, it appears as though there are many who would like and seek to do him harm.  May his love for this country be at the heart and center of all he does, and if he doesn’t know Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord, we pray that you will bring him to that point.  And when all is said done with Donald Trump’s presidency, we pray that we will be able to look back upon it, perhaps with a bit of surprise, perhaps with even a bit of shock, but definitely with a lot of gratitude in our hearts and we’ll be able to say, “My, what great things God was able to do through this man!”  Hear us, Father, for we bring Mr. Trump, our nation, and all our other concerns to you in the precious, the powerful, and the peace-giving name of Jesus.  Amen.

God bless Donald Trump and God bless the United States of America!