Faithfully Yours- Never underestimate the power of prayer
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- Published on Sunday, January 8, 2017
Neil Strohschein
The Neepawa Banner
The results of the November 2016 elections in the United States, especially the vote for President, have proven the wisdom of the old saying: “Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it—and you might not like the consequences of your choice.”
As the rhetoric preceding the election fades into history and people begin to adjust to the new realities of American politics, many are still asking: “What happened—and why?”
The first question is easy to answer. The American people wanted change; they voted for change and in Donald Trump, they got a President who will definitely “do things his way.” But his radical ideas will be moderated by the checks and balances written into the United States Constitution, which, when he takes the oath of office, he will promise to “preserve, protect and defend.” So don’t expect him to be trampling on human rights or taking a machete to the laws and regulations that govern American society. He will have a hard time doing that.
We can, however, expect one thing from Donald Trump. He will put America first. He will work hard to build business and industry so that Americans will be able to buy goods that are made in America, by American workers, using American raw materials. He will review existing treaties and carefully scrutinize new ones to ensure that any provisions that give countries like Canada and Mexico an “unfair advantage” (by his definition) are removed. This will be his way of doing what he promised to do—“Make America Great Again.”
Like most incoming politicians, Trump will want to enact significant initiatives in his first 100 days as President. Every new head of state does. But two years later, when the governed begin paying for those initiatives, their taxes will go up; services will go down and the people will be no better off than they were two years earlier.
Will this change under Donald Trump? No, it won’t. It won’t change because it can’t. The current political system won’t allow it. Too many vested interests have too much at stake—and Trump will find that out soon enough.
Government initiatives will never produce the lasting changes that Canadians and Americans want to see in their societies. To change society, we must find a way to change the hearts of those who make the laws that the rest of us are expected to obey.
To achieve that goal, we must seek help from someone who is bigger, stronger and smarter than all of the rest of us combined. Only one person qualifies—Almighty God; and we seek his help as we follow his command to pray for those who are in authority over us.
We must never underestimate the power of prayer, especially when it comes to praying for our leaders. In the closing words of his letter to the churches, St. James tells us that “the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) By praying for those in leadership, we release the power of God’s Spirit to act in their lives—to change the way they think, speak and act—so that they can become righteous people who will enact righteous laws that create a nation of integrity, righteousness and peace.
God has promised that if we pray, he will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get busy. Let’s start praying and trusting God to hear and answer us. He’s waiting for us to take the first step.
