So it looks like “The Donald” won big in Nevada and appears well on his way to winning the Republican nomination for President. I’ve talked with friends all over the country that are dismayed because he does not appear to be a Christian, and yet paradoxically evangelicals are voting for him in big numbers.
I haven’t personally met with Mr. Trump, but I know several people who have and to a person they came away from those meetings with the belief that if elected he will support Christians and our agenda. There are those who point to his past positions on various issues that are contrary to everything I hold dear, primarily abortion. He brushes this line of thinking aside and has indicated that he has changed his position on many issues in life including that one.
Some don’t seem to think he can change.
Hmmm . . . That one is impossible for me to fathom, considering that Jesus changed my life and thinking so radically as to defy logic. One friend told me that Trump told him that he had spent a lifetime building his businesses and that he was just now getting started in his Christian walk. Judging from his words he has a long way to go, but then again so did I when I was just getting started. And for that matter so did the Apostle Paul and many others.
But for argument’s sake let’s just say that he doesn’t change. Can a pagan serve God’s purpose in restoring Christian values to our once great country?
Cyrus was a king mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible and is identified as Cyrus the Great who reigned over Persia. Interestingly this pagan king is vitally important, because it was under his rule that Jews were first allowed to return to Israel after 70 years of captivity.
Isaiah predicted Cyrus’ decree to free the Jews one hundred and fifty years before Cyrus lived, the prophet called him by name and gave details of Cyrus’ benevolence to the Jews: “This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him . . . ‘I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me’” (Isaiah 45:1, 4). God said of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please” (Isaiah 44:28).
So God used this pagan, King Cyrus, to actively assist the Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus restored the temple treasures to Jerusalem, and allowed building expenses to be paid from his royal treasury. His beneficence helped to restart the temple worship practices that had languished during the 70 years of the Jews’ captivity and some commentators point to Cyrus’s decree to rebuild Jerusalem as the official beginning of Judaism. Interestingly besides his dealings with the Jews, he accomplished many other things as a pagan, Cyrus is known for his advancement of human rights, his brilliant military strategy, and his bridging of Eastern and Western cultures.
So maybe if the Donald can get elected he will do the same for America.
I think the important thing to keep in mind is that God uses whomever He chooses to accomplish His purpose. Cyrus is a prime example. Though he was definitely a pagan, he was used by God to help fulfill an important Old Testament prophecy and God’s use of him for His people illustrates the truth of Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.”
So if you are all upset and want to commit hari-kari because Trump is winning, you might take heart in knowing that God remains sovereign and firmly in control. My prayer is that He will protect us from the likes of the Socialist Bernie Sanders and the dishonest Hillary. Ugh! Everyone needs to go to the polls and vote!!!!!
Proverbs 8:15
By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;
February 24, 2016 – Click here to listen