… One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
January 20, 2021 marks the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States of America. In the days and months leading up to this moment, we have witnessed a discord and contention that has fortunately only reared its ugly head several times over the course of our country’s history. People within the church stand on both sides of the issues. This piece is not meant to argue for or against a viewpoint or say that one side is right and the other is wrong. It is not an endorsement or a rejection for any political figure or party. Whether we are inaugurating the 46th president or the 47th president, our response, as followers of Christ, should be the same.
Ultimately, we live under God’s authority, but we also live in a society that has a government authority. On the surface, the government appears to be entirely a manmade creation. So, it stands to reason that we have the choice to ignore the government and its leaders if we disagree. This is a false assertion and has no scriptural basis except if the government or leader is asking you to disobey God’s authority. A repeated theme throughout scripture is that God establishes and maintains the kingdoms and authorities throughout the earth. Leaders over the course of history have both rightly and wrongly used this theme to substantiate their claim to rule, but it doesn’t make God’s ultimate authority less true. The best summation of this theme is found in Romans 13:1-7:
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
There is a lot to digest in these verses. Entire books have been written on them, and it can be easy to quickly go down various theological rabbit holes. There is a time and place for that, but for now let’s run with the main theme. The main theme is that whomever our mayor, governor, senator, or president may be, it is not a surprise to or mistake by God. He has allowed them to come into a position of authority so that ultimately God’s will can be accomplished for our good. We do not have the right to resist authority just because we don’t agree with them or because they seem immoral. It is also important to note that these verses do not say God places a leader into power because he endorses their agenda, they achieved their rule legitimately, or that they are a mouthpiece for God. Whether you are excited about or dreading the new leaders of our nation, ultimately, we can have peace knowing that our country’s leaders are in their position because God has allowed it, and they will be held accountable to him.
So, what now? What should our response be, whether we agree or disagree, with our new leaders? We should pray. Paul instructs Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 that in order to display Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world, he can “wage the good warfare,” hold faith, and have a good conscience by:
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We shouldn’t just pray for those whose policies we agree with, or whose morals we agree with, or who will give us greater power. Notice how Paul tells Timothy to pray for “all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” We desire to see Christ made known, not our beliefs prioritized.
Ultimately, our hope is not in man, or country, but in Jesus. We look forward to the day that Jesus comes again and rules over the new heaven and the new earth. While we await his return, we should pray that our leaders will be given the strength and ability to display Christ-like leadership, so that all people can “come to the knowledge of the truth.”
I encourage you to look to the Psalms for examples of how to pray. The Psalms are prayers or songs that are written by God (through man) for God, so we get a glimpse into God’s heart and desires. Psalm 72 is a great starting point. It is a royal psalm, meaning that it acts as a prayer for David’s heirs to be Godly kings over Israel. Looking even deeper, this psalm is also a Messianic psalm in that it looks forward to the day that the Messiah, Jesus, will rule as king over all nations. Oh, that we would have a president and leaders that are Godly!
1 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!5 May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
7 In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
9 May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.15 Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!
17 May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Notice the two repeated themes throughout the psalm are justice and righteousness. God’s desire for the kings of Israel was for them to act justly and be righteous. This is not of themselves because in verse 1 it says that they must be given to them by God. So, our starting point in prayer for our new leaders should be their character; that God will give them justice and righteousness. God is fully just and fully righteous, no one can fully know justice or righteousness except through God. A leader’s character will steer the direction of the nation. A character that emphasizes self-glorification, pride, and falsehood will breed a nation that mimics the same. The result will be destructive versus constructive.
The psalmist moves on in verse 4 to talk of how the king should defend the cause of the poor, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. The psalmist desires the entire nation to be cared for and protected. He is calling for the king to treat everyone fairly and apply justice equally, no matter one’s status. If one group is valued over another, it will breed oppression. By providing equitable justice you protect the whole. Imagine stepping on a Lego while barefoot. It hurts. It’s a pain, felt on a small portion of your foot, that is capable of bringing your entire body down. Now imagine you came to a room where you have to walk across a floor covered in Legos. Before even beginning, you’d immediately go put on shoes to protect yourself from the object that will cause pain. No one would choose to walk barefoot just because their feet, which are small, dirty, and insignificant compared to the rest of the body, are unworthy of shoes (protection). That’s absurd; your entire being would suffer because you chose to not care for something that was vulnerable and exposed. So it is with the poor and needy in our midst. Treat them for what they are, a human being made in the image of God. Their suffering is our nation’s suffering.
In verse 5, the author desires for the king and future kings to fear God throughout all generations. The stresses of leading a nation are great. They can quickly distract from what is most important. For the strength and stability of our nation, we should desire for our leaders to have strength and good health. We want them to be able to endure the stresses of serving the nation. We want them to serve faithfully and fulfill their leadership roles. In this way, they can be “like rain,” or in other words be a provision for all who need it.
The psalmist moves on in verses 8-11 to talk of a desire for the king to be ruler over all nations. This is not an excuse for us to pray that America be the greatest of all nations for America’s sake. Rather, we should consider the context it is written under. The desire is that all nations be brought under God’s rule. In this way, all people, not just Israel, not just America, may experience God. Our prayer should be that God will use our country and our leaders to spread His glory, His freedom, His peace, to all nations. Not that we would be great for the sake of ourselves, but that we may help deliver the needy and “the poor and him who has no helper.” Our prayer is not that America would be great, but that God will do great things through America. We desire to see our land prosper, but not to increase our own comfort. We want to help save the lives of those who are needy, those who are oppressed. We want to help redeem others. In doing so, God’s name will be praised throughout the earth.
The beauty of this psalm is that it is not just a wonderful picture of what God desires of a nation’s leaders, but that it will be brought to complete fruition when Christ returns. In the meantime, our new leaders are God appointed leaders. God has allowed them to be placed into a leadership role. Our nation will either further turn from God or turn to God. As followers of Christ, we should earnestly pray for them even if we don’t agree with them; that God will give them a character of justice and righteousness. No matter what happens over the course of their leadership we can always trust the promise of Psalm 74:12, “Yet God my King is from old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.”