I can’t stand Donald Trump. There, I’ve said it. It’s my opinion. Yours may be different. I find him to be bullying, self obsessed, lacking in any humility and graciousness, and lacking any of the skills of diplomacy that one might expect from a world leader. His threats to force Canada and Greenland to become part of the United States would be humourous were he not so serious. All of the norms of international relations and internationally agreed rules and laws of proper conduct have been thrown out of the window, so that this spoilt, rich, orange man-baby can have his own way.
What no one can deny is that God has placed him in this position. If we truly believe in the lordship of Christ (and we do), then we have to conclude that Jesus is Lord even over the appointment of Trump to the White House. This is not to say that God approves of him, but simply that this is part of God’s plan; for the USA and for the world.
On one level, many agree with Trump that Europe has not pulled its weight over funding and staffing NATO. Many agree that it is a good thing that Europe is stepping up to contribute more to NATO. Many also agree in the sentiments of Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister, that we need to forge new alliances apart from the USA. (I for one, think that we should foster stronger alliances with the rest of the civilised, grown-up world and ditch the USA as soon as is practicable). But this all leads me to muse: what is God doing in these strange times?
Are we at a new Tower of Babel moment. For years, the west has enjoyed a period of security. This became even stronger when the Iron Curtain came down and the Cold War ended. (in reality, of course, it was never really that secure – major western governments have often been supporting and assisting coups in developing world countries in order to obtain better deals for buying oil and other natural resources) The prevailing assumption was that the democratic, civilised west, could work together to resolve any problems in the world, – at least to their own satisfaction, if not the satisfaction of those who lived in a particular country being “helped”. When you can sort things out yourself, who needs God? Has the western alliance been saying, in effect, “we are our own God; when we work together we can achieve anything!”? We know that God took a dim view of the people who believed a similar thing when they built the Tower of Babel.
Has God installed Trump in the White House exactly for such a time as this? Is God using Trump’s deranged ramblings and petulance to bring about an end to the old world order of mutual security and unified strength, in order to point us back to dependency on Him? We know in times past, God raised up Nebuchadnezzar, Darius the Great and Cyrus to be the person in the right place at the right time to further the plans of God for his people. These were not nice people. They were pagan butchers and tyrants. But God used them.
What we can assert beyond all doubt is that Jesus is still Lord. The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice! We don’t need to fear. But we do need to pray. These are strange times that we live in. I still don’t like Trump, but I would be foolish not to consider that he is part of God’s plan for the world and for the glory of His Son.