What is Trump? What is Biden? (1 Cor 3:3-4)
On Friday morning, President Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. and was transferred to Walter Reed Military Medical Center.
Dr. Jim Denison said, “The year 2020 has been unlike any in living memory, primarily because it has combined so many other difficult years. It began like 1974 with impeachment, then became 1918 with the pandemic, 2008 with the recession, and 1968 with street riots. However, never before in American history has an incumbent president been publicly diagnosed with an illness this close to an election.”*
What can we learn from this uncertain situation? I want to share three things:
1. We do not have full control of our lives!
James 4:13-15 reminds, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James does not suggest we do not need to plan. But when we make a plan, we should not assume that everything will go according to what we plan. Why? Because we do not know what will happen tomorrow. Who would think that a month before the election day, one of the candidates gets sick?
We do not know what tomorrow will bring to us, but we often forget about it. So, we act like we have full control of our lives, and when things happened not as we planned, we were surprised and became disappointed. James reminds us of a reality that we are limited and don’t know what will happen to us. Therefore, when we plan, we should humble ourselves by saying, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” God is the One who has full control of our lives! When we surrender our lives to Him, we will find peace when things do not go as we plan because we know that He works in all things for us (Rom 8:28-29).
2. We must put our trust in the Lord, the King of kings, and the President of presidents!
Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us: "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
What happened to President Trump shocked the world. Who has thought that he would get the Coronavirus, a month before the election day? But our omniscient Lord is not surprised. He "knows everything" (1 John 3:20) and sees "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). He is the One who "determines the number of stars" and "gives to all of them their names" (Psalm 147:4). He is on the throne of the universe today. And therefore, we should put our trust in Him, not on humans whoever he/she is! Many people are worried because of what has been going on in this country lately, but we should entrust America into God’s sovereign hands and turn to him our fears and uncertainties. Peter tells us to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Pet 5:7). When we present our requests to God, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6–7).
3. Our real enemy is not human, but the devil!
The presidential election has repeatedly brought division in many countries. It has ruined friendship; some people unfriend their friends on Facebook because they supported a different candidate. Family members stop talking with each other because they disagree on which candidate they should vote. Sadly, that also happened at church and created tension among the people of God. What a shame! Some people hate Trump so much that they wish he would die of the Coronavirus. Others hate Biden and make fun of him. We should know and remember that our enemy is not someone who disagrees with us, disappoints us, or has hurt us. Those who support a different candidate from us are not our enemies. Trump and Biden are not our enemies. Apostle Paul reminds us in Eph 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Our real enemy is the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy us and our country! (John 10:10) I wish all Christians in this country would remember that! Do not be deceived by the devil’s schemes! (Eph 6:11). Do not be like the unbelievers who sacrifice their friendship, family, and country for the sake of supporting their candidate by hating, fighting with each other, and even killed others. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 3:3 that we are still worldly if we quarrel because we idolize or support someone. What is Trump? What is Biden?” Neither one of them is our enemy! Whoever will lead this country in the next four years is just a servant of God, the One who dethrones kings and raises up others (Dan 2:21). God can use anyone, even the unbeliever, to accomplish His will.
Do you remember king Cyrus? Jewish tradition has been consistent in treating him as a pagan agent of God’s divine plan for Jews to return to the Land of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Ezra 1:1-2 tells us, “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.”
So, when we pray for the presidential election, we should ask God’s will to be done so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. We pray that God smashes the devil’s scheme to divide and destroy this country by rejecting God and His word!
As Jesus’ disciples, we must show love for one another amidst differences among us, make every effort to build and keep the unity of Christ’s body, and be the light in this dark world (Matt 5:14–16). We must see things from the biblical perspective!
Let us look again at the three points that I share with you today:
One: We do not have full control of our lives!
Two: We must put our trust in the Lord!
Three: Our real enemy is not human, but the devil!
As I close this message, I encourage you to continue praying for our government like Apostle Paul teaches in 1 Tim 2:2 “Pray … for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Let us pray for President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump right now. Pray for God to protect and heal them. Pray for our Lord to guide and protect our country in these uncertain times. Pray for His will to be done in the election and for America to come back to God and becoming a stronger country.
*https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/president-trump-first-lady-test-positive-for-coronavirus-three-biblical-words-of-hope/
