I was cautiously optimistic on election night that President Trump would win. To me, it seemed like things had been shifting in that direction. Swaths of the American public were starting to notice the destructive fruit springing out of the horrible ideology being advanced by the left.
A Little Background
Every Tuesday we hold a bible study and a prayer meeting at our church. On the morning of Election Day, I confessed to our group before prayer, “If Trump wins, I believe God will be granting our nation mercy, but if Kamala wins our nation will simply be getting what it deserves.” We all prayed, “Lord, grant our nation mercy;” and mercy we received!
Providentially, the following Wednesday evening at our mid-week service, it just so happened that we were in Amos chapter 7. In this chapter, three visions are given to the prophet Amos. In the first two visions, Amos is told a horrible judgment is coming to destroy Israel, but the prophet prays and intercedes for the wickedness of the northern kingdom. Upon this intercession, God relents the disaster He said He would bring, and mercy is given instead. The same thing happens with the second vision. And by the time the third vision of judgment comes there is no longer an opportunity for Amos to pray for mercy, judgment is just going to come. (Amos 7:1-9). This got me thinking, what are we to do when God grants our nation mercy?
America is not Israel, But We Still Ought to Pray
As I considered this Old Testament passage, I knew any parallel between Israel and the United States must not be taken out of context. The United States is not a nation that has been given covenant promises like Israel. There is no promise in the Bible that the Lord will restore and renew the United States like He will for Israel. That said, I recognize our God is more than just the God of Israel, he is also the Sovereign Lord of all the earth (1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Acts 17:26-27). He is also a God who is longsuffering, merciful, and gracious and He is a God who delights in answering the prayers of His people no matter the nation they pray for or where they are located (Exodus 34:5-7; Jeremiah 18:5-10; Matthew 7:7-12). Since all this is revealed to be true, and since God commands believers to pray for all those in authority so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life (1 Timothy 2:1-3), it seems clear to me then, that we as God’s people living in the United States, ought to ask the Lord for mercy on our own rebellious nation. Perhaps through our prayers, and our willingness to be salt and light, He will grant us mercy!
How We are to Respond When Mercy is Granted
I see two responses to God’s mercy revealed through this section of the book of Amos. First, there is the response of the northern kingdom as a whole. They respond in apathy, resisting the mercy that was granted, failing to recognize it for what it was: an opportunity for repentance.
Second, there is the response of the godly, Amos. When mercy was granted, Amos did not see it as a time to rest on his laurels. Rather, when God’s mercy was granted, Amos saw it as an opportunity to get busy. Amos continued to keep his eyes on the Lord, and he got busy with the ministry the Lord had set before him. During this season of mercy, Amos continues to keep on preaching the truth of God’s Word and a message of repentance, for it is when people repent that there is hope.
My encouragement to our church as we consider the mercy God has granted the United States, through the election, is to seize the day! God has granted us at least four years of reprieve. He has opened up the door for the church to do precisely what He has commissioned us to do, make disciples! (Matthew 28:18-20)
Now, I am in no way disillusioned that Trump’s victory somehow means America somehow became godlier overnight. On the contrary, I am convinced America is still on a crash course for judgment. I think the United States is further away from Jesus than ever before, and we are seeing more forms of depravity taking root all around us in our society. America needs Jesus and the church has the answer. We must seize upon the opportunity presented to us.
God’s bestowal of mercy upon our country for a season is not a time for the church to kick back and take it easy just because Trump will be in office. Certainly, we should be grateful, but now is the time for God’s people to put our hands to the plow. We must fix our gaze upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We must seek out ways to be the salt and light God has called us to be in every sphere of life He has ordained us.
Who knows, maybe the Lord just might grant us more than four more years of mercy.
