Best-selling Christian author Max Lucado recently talked with The Tennesseean newspaper about his thoughts after the 2016 presidential election.
In general, he is at ease, despite opposing President-elect Donald Trump in the run up to the election. He reminded those reading the interview that God is sovereign, and He can use anyone to advance His divine plans.
Asked if his views about Trump have changed, Lucado said:
“I’m a firm believer in God’s sovereignty, and there’s a passage in the Bible that I read and turn to a lot in times like this. It’s Prov. 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord.” So I think God can use any ruler to accomplish his purpose. I’m prayerful. I think that’s where I am right now. I’m not anxious. I’m not troubled. I’m peaceful. If I’m troubled about anything, it’s the kind of fragile nature of our society. We’re really at odds with each other, but I’m hopeful that with time that this will settle down and we’ll be more and more at peace.”
He admitted he’s still troubled by Trump’s “words and actions” revealed during the campaign, and he’s not entirely sure how to interpret them. And he’s not been able to come to peace about that aspect of the president-elect.
He urged Trump to “hire” more quality men and women like Vice President-Elect Mike Pence to help lead the country. Then, he said, those people should be “set free” to do their jobs—what he said was a “good rule of thumb for leadership.”
Lucado was also asked about the angst surrounding the results of the election. He said:
“I think that a common mistake that countries make is that we expect that a leader will solve all of our problems or a leader will create all of our problems. We assume too much. Maybe it would be good for us to back away and say, OK, we have a system of checks and balances in our government. Certainly the president has remarkable power, but it’s not unlimited power. So let’s trust that the system is good. But even more, let’s trust that our God is on our throne and that he will protect and oversee the country. Let’s pray. My prayer is that our president-elect will have the administrative skills of Joseph, the vision of Daniel and the wisdom of Solomon.”
With Christmas approaching, Lucado was also asked if it could provide an opportunity to unite Americans and to heal the country’s wounds. He said he thinks the nation “really needs Christmas” and that it has a way of bringing out the best in humanity because it makes us givers.
“Giving is just good for us. It flushes us,” he said. “Politics has a way of bringing the tackiness out of us and causing us to take this side or that. Christmas says, ‘We believe there is somebody greater that is running the world.’
“For Christians, we really have opportunity to take hope in Christmas because it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, whom we Christians believe to be God on earth. I know things are tough and fragile now, but God can speak into our world as well. That’s really the promise of Bethlehem.” {eoa}
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