-John Moraga
Scripture instructs us to subject ourselves to governing authorities, and to pray for those in authoritative roles. Notably, our subjection and prayers are not dependent on whether we agree with our respective governing authorities. On the contrary, we are directed to “render unto Cesar the things that are Cesar’s” and to lift up even the most godless of authorities to the Lord in prayer. It is crucial we take these directives seriously, especially in our society today. Too often, we can allow ourselves to become so deafened by the noise of intense political divisions that we lose sight of our spiritual obligations. May God’s sovereignty and will be revealed to all who are in authority.
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God,
and those which exist are established by God.
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed
the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed
will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
Romans 13:1-2
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings,
be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil
and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
I Timothy 2:1-2
U.S. presidents have the authority to send troops to the battlefield, and they can drastically influence the world economy. Supreme Court judges have the power to decree that babies can be murdered (Roe v. Wade 1973, Planned Parenthood v. Casey 1992). Governors, as we are currently experiencing, can order people to refrain from publicly gathering for religious services.
I can recall the years I spent as a member of the Security Forces in the U.S. Air Force, and accepting the authority of the Commander-In-Chief, the president of the United States of America. There is a great amount of power invested in the president, including the ability to place troops in harm’s way. Legally, the president can do this, even without Congress actually declaring war on another nation. In fact, the U.S. government has not officially declared war on a nation since 1942 during World War II. All subsequent “wars” have been technically “operations,” “campaigns,” “conflicts,” or “actions.” The Korean “War,” The Vietnam “War,” The Gulf “War,” and the “War” In Afghanistan were never declared “wars” by the U.S. Congress (even if they explicitly or tacitly approved of those hostilities by funding them). So, when I found myself on a tarmac with all of my defensive combat gear, the reality of President Clinton’s authority smacked me in the face harder than the leather winds of the early morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA in late December 1998.
President Clinton had ordered the bombings of certain targets in Iraq, during a campaign named Operation Desert Fox. These strikes were reasonably anticipated to catalyze an elongated conflict with Iraq. So, I was rudely awakened before dawn by somebody pounding on my door and telling me to gather my gear, in order to be ready to deploy immediately to the Middle East. I obeyed orders and found myself in a large steal building with my fellow troops, where we were getting a classified briefing on what our mission was. Then we packed into a bus and drove to a tarmac, where we were supposed to board a plane destined for Iraq. We waited there for what seemed like hours, wondering why we were not boarding the plane (hurry up and wait). Then we were told that our mission was cancelled and that hostilities were essentially over (I could not wait to melt back into my delicious bed).
Operation Desert Fox was a four-day bombing campaign ordered by President Clinton in December 1998. Scholars have debated the necessity and legitimacy of this campaign. Publicly, President Clinton claimed he was responding to Iraq’s failure to comply with UN Security Council inspections. However, some members of Congress deemed the timing of hostilities too coincidental. They believed President Clinton may have been trying to distract from his impeachment proceedings, by creating a sensationalized news story, a military conflict. The true reasons behind President Clinton’s actions may never be fully disclosed, but what is undeniable is that he had the power to take those actions, as well as potentially take even more severe actions e.g. he could have prolonged and even intensified hostilities. If he did, I would have undoubtedly boarded that plane on the tarmac, and I would have been part of another pre-9/11 military conflict in the Middle East. My point is that President Clinton had the power to put me and many other troops in a scenario he determined. May we never forget the sacrifices my brothers and sister in uniform have made serving our country and following the orders of the Commander-In-Chief.
Today, President Trump is facing many hostile critics of his decision-making (unfortunately, many of these detractors have actually been harsh critics since President Trump assumed the office of the presidency). Stipulated, I also have a handful of my own criticisms of President Trump. However, as I declared in my thesis, as a believer, I have an obligation to pray for President Trump, irrespective of my disagreements with him. Likewise, I had an obligation to pray for President Obama when he was in office, even though I disagreed with nearly 100% of his policies and decisions. Similarly, I disagree with nearly every political position of California Governor, Gavin Newsom, but I still need to keep him in my prayers and be forever hopeful that he is influenced by the Lord’s will.
As believers, we are called to be the light of a world in darkness, even if, especially when we disagree with those in power.
In summation: we have an obligation to pray for President Trump, as we should have prayed for President Obama when he was in office. We should be praying for California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, and we should be praying for every Supreme Court judge. Let us be the peace-makers we are expected to be, and may we demonstrate love to our enemies as Messiah requires us to do. May we rise above political disagreements and pray for the Lord’s hand over our governing authorities.
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