By Rabbi K. A. Schneider
We recently all witnessed a truly historical event with the election of our 45th President. In the midst of a nation divided and the unknown, it is imperative that the church intercedes to bring healing, restoration, and guidance – all under the Banner of God. Now it is up to us to determine what to do.
Did you realize that America’s first Constitution was called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut? And the Puritan framers of this document required that each aspect of it to be grounded in the Scriptures?
America’s foundational idea of the rule of law rather than the authority of man can be traced back to the Old Testament – the Ten Commandments. That is why for so long, we had the Ten Commandments in front of our government buildings. In fact, the phrase, “separation of church and state” is not in our founding documents; the founders of this country wanted our government to be influenced by spirituality. They never foresaw a government that would not take God into account. The founders knew that our right to exist was only because Creator God gave us this right:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So this concept that spirituality and religion should never influence government is completely and totally foreign to what this country was founded on.
The government should not control religion. Everybody agrees on this. But neither should the government exclude religion. When prayer is taken out of schools, the Ten Commandments removed from government properties and our educational institutions are forbidden from teaching that God is our Creator – all this goes beyond what our Constitution ever imagined. This is happening because of an anti-God spirit that exists in this world, government and culture.
Two men that I admire Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) and Loren Cunningham (founder of Youth with a Mission) in 1975 both said that the Lord had revealed to them that believers needed to affect and influence seven different “mountains” of society.
• RELIGION
• FAMILY
• EDUCATION
• GOVERNMENT
• MEDIA
• ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
• BUSINESS
Unfortunately, many believers today have given up on being voices of truth and righteousness into the political world.In times past, God used Billy Graham to speak to leaders of our nation, to be a voice of political influence for the Lord’s kingdom. He did not pray for just Democrats or just for Republicans. He prayed for whoever was in office, and that is what my heart is.
The Bible tells us: “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.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NASB)
By me praying for a potential or current government leader, that does not mean that I am endorsing him or her, it just means that I am trusting God. He told me to pray for all those that are in positions of authority, that we might all live well in the land. It is important to learn how to show respect for authority; this demonstrates that we believe the Bible when it tells us that there is no authority except that which has been established by God. And so, by praying for earthly authorities, we show that we trust God and recognize that all authority comes from Him.
I just want to create balance here. This is the key, balance. We should not, as believers, completely withdraw from politics simply because the politics of this world do not always reflect the kingdom of heaven. Neither should we get so involved in politics that we mistake the political climate of the world for the kingdom of heaven. They are two different spheres. But God has called us as sons and daughters of the kingdom of heaven to influence every sphere on this earth; whether it is our educational systems, the media, or politics.
Rabbi Schneider lays hands on President-elect Donald Trump
In the Book of Esther, God raised up Esther to influence the king of her time who was not a believer in the God of Israel. God raised up Esther to be a voice of truth in his life. The result of her influence spared the lives of the Jewish people living in Ancient Persia. When a political candidate or political figure does not share our faith in God, Jesus, or understand Scripture the way that we do; our position should not be to retreat give up, or remove ourselves from being voices of truth in the political process. God needs us to be salt and light in the world. We cannot just sit idly by and not do anything – if someone does not believe the same way we do. Joseph was used by God to guide Pharaoh. Daniel was used to influence Nebuchadnezzar. We need to be men and women of God who will speak Biblical truth over our leaders.
History is really “His-story.” And so often what we see happening in government may seem wrong, unjust, or may make no sense at all, but – God is sovereign. Either we believe that or we do not. If we believe that God is sovereign, this means that even when there are unjust political leaders in office, we must still believe that God is in control. We still have to respect His authority on the earth, not as those that are respecting man, but of those that have confidence that God is supreme.
“O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.” 2 Chronicles 20:6 (NASB)
Rather than being influenced by religion, as our founding fathers intended, today, our government often chooses to exclude religion and thus God – completely from the process. This is why it is so important for Christians, people like you and I, to raise our voices loud to influence and pray for our nation’s leaders. We must get involved. We must trust that God is in control and desires to use us to be His ambassadors. I want to encourage you to lift up passionate prayers to Father God; that His kingdom would be involved in our nation. I want to compel you to get involved. If not you, then who? I want to encourage every single one of us to pray for our leaders. Let us pray that God’s kingdom would come, and that His will be done on earth even as it is in heaven.
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Rabbi Schneider is a Jewish believer in Jesus and hosts the international television program, Discovering The Jewish Jesus (available on most Christian networks, including TBN and Daystar). Rabbi Schneider conducts crusades around the world and has authored several books; including Awakening to Messiah, Do Not Be Afraid, Self-Deliverance, and Revelation Decoded-coming March 2017.
