It is 12:36....thirty six minutes past noon....and about thirty-four minutes since Donald Trump was sworn into his second term....and I just received this text from his 'team'...."I AM....(the pause here is mine)....THE PRESIDENT NOW. Let's unleash the next Golden Age in the USA.
I tuned in most of the morning....right up to the swearing in....and then closed the computer... before President Trump's speech began. I can read it later....Lord willing.
Franklin Graham's prayer just before the swearing in was disturbing. He began...."Mr. President, in the last four years....there were times....I'm sure you thought....it was pretty dark....but look was God has done....we praise Him and give Him glory....let us pray....our Father and our God....Thou has said....'Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD'....as the prophet Daniel prayed....'Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever....for wisdom and might are His....He changes the times and the seasons....He removes kings....He raises up kings....He gives wisdom to the wise....and knowledge to those who have understanding'....our Father today....as Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again....we come to say...thank you O Lord our God....Father when Donald Trump's enemies thought he was down and out....You and You alone saved his life....and raised him up with strength and power....by Your mighty hand....we pray for President Trump....that You'll watch over....protect....guide....direct him...give him Your wisdom from your throne on high....we ask that You would bless him....and that our nation would be blessed through him....we also ask that You would bless and protect Melania....as First Lady....we thank You for the beauty...the warmth....the grace....that she shows not only to this nation....but to the whole world....we thank You for Vice-President-elect J. D. Vance....and his wife.....Usha....and his young family....may he be a strength to President Trump....stand beside him....to hold up his arms like Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the battle....the prophet Samuel reminded the people....it was You that brought him up from the land of Egypt....and He said....stand still....that I may reason with you before the LORD.....for Father we take this moment to stand still....to remember the great things You have done for this nation....thank You for the protection....the freedoms....that we so enjoy....we remember....to keep our eyes fixed on You....and may our hearts be inclined to Your voice....we know that America can never be great again....if we turn our backs on You....we ask for Your help....and we pray all of this in the name of the King of Kings....the Lord of Lords....Your Son....My Savior....and our Redeemer....Jesus Christ amen."
This prayer was disturbing to me because the Rev. Franklin Graham is taking the position that all is good with us now....that only the last four years were dark....a half century of increasing warnings from God....vanished in our mind....because we have replaced one political leader with another....when in fact we are far more removed from repentance than we were when he said many of these same words in a rally prayer in August of 2017....that I posted on at the time. We.....evangelicals and all of us on the....'right'....are glorying right now in our own accomplishments and power! We are sure that our financial and military hegemony will return. Our idols are not only still in place but have increased since 2017. We have less compassion than we had even back then. We are certain now that peace and safety is ours. Graham missed all of this. His words when speaking of God were true....and will ring out....but they no longer ring out in a warning....for those warnings were rejected....they now ring out in proclamation for us to yes....stand still in remembrance....but also to stand still and behold what the Lord of Glory is going to do.
