God bless America?

I haven’t written a blog post in a long time. Actually, it’s been four months and several days. Why so long? I guess because I’m not sure if anyone was reading them? That shouldn’t stop me. I should write what God lays on my heart no matter who wants to read it or who doesn’t! But even ministers are human, so I just kept putting it off.

But I saw a movie recently. Isn’t that sad? You would expect me to launch with the Bible and I want to go with a movie review! Yep, that’s where I wanted to go and then the Lord redirected me. “Make America Great Again!” Some of you are all in! Others are totally skeptical, if not, antagonistic? I lived through the turbulent 1960’s and I have never seen this nation more divided. President Trump had not been office for a full day before a million women (if not more) marched on Washington and across the country to protest his presidency and how unloved he is making them and others feel. Every day since, some group has protested an executive order, a cabinet pick, a campaign promise he intends to keep, or something he tweeted. I literally have not seen anything like this in my lifetime.

So, am I saying I believe in the Trump presidency? I don’t know what to believe. I have watched politicians of all stripes for 50 years get us $20 trillion in debt and claim to solve problems that average Americans really didn’t think were solved. President Trump wasn’t my pick, when this election started, but I have found myself wondering if a businessman could do any better at running this country than politicians have. I guess in the years to come historians will pass judgment on that question. For now, his supporters are hanging on his every word, and his opponents don’t believe a word he says. And as for me, I still know of only one thing I can totally trust.

In the 60’s President Lyndon Johnson promised to end poverty and to get us out of the Vietnam War. Neither one of those had occurred when he left office. President Richard Nixon told me he was not a crook and hadn’t covered up the Watergate break-in. That was a lie. President Gerald Ford wasn’t in office long enough to lie but he did stumble all over the place. President Jimmy Carter sold himself as someone who understood the economy. But when his four years in office ended ‘the misery index’ (the unemployment rate plus the rate of inflation) which he used to criticize President Ford, was seven points higher than it had been when he was elected. President Ronald Reagan claimed we never traded arms for hostages, but the evidence was pretty clear that’s exactly what happened in the Iran-Contra affair. President George Bush (the elder) said, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” And then he raised taxes and sealed his defeat! President Bill Clinton adamantly stated, “I did not have ‘___’ with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” But depending on your definition of ‘___’ and/or ‘is’, that was pretty much determined to be an all-time whopper. President George Bush (the younger) claimed we went to war in Iraq because they had weapons of mass destruction. Never found them! He either lied or was just wrong. And President Barack Obama said, “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.” That wasn’t true either. Now President Trump says ‘we’re going to build a wall and Mexico’s going to pay for it.’ If that doesn’t happen, did he lie, was he wrong….does it matter?!?

What I’m getting at is simply this: Presidents or other high ranking officials often lie or are simply wrong. They are fallible human beings. But the one thing I know I can always believe, always trust, without exception….is the Word of God! (John 17:17; I Peter 1:25) Our God does not lie (Romans 3:4; Hebrews 6:18) and he is never wrong (Hebrews 4:13)! I can’t trust politicians or leaders to always get it right and to never lie, but I can trust the one, true God to tell the truth and make us great! So, I do! (Proverbs 3:5, 6) I hope you do too! And I trust you pray for those who lead us! (I Timothy 2:1, 2) They surely need it. Don’t we all!