Franklin Graham: Pray for Donald J. Trump

On Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Trump becomes only the second president in history to win non-consecutive terms. He received more than 77 million votes—the most ever by a Republican candidate—as voters expressed concern that our nation is in trouble. 

Voters rejected the far-left liberal political agenda of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that championed abortion rights, same-sex marriage and transgender advocacy, and created a legal and political atmosphere that was hostile to Biblical principles and Christian values. 

The incoming administration has promised to weed out bloated bureaucracies across the government and throttle reckless spending that has plunged our country into $36 trillion of debt. That’s just hard to comprehend, isn’t it? Certainly, the Scriptures cast an unfavorable light when a person or entity spends well beyond their means. 

This is a critical time for America to right itself on so many fronts, or else we may find our global leadership greatly diminished in the face of immense peril. I do believe, though, that in His providence, God has placed President Trump in the Oval Office. 

I don’t have any doubt that the Lord’s sovereign hand of mercy was on him during the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. The bullet that cut his ear and just missed his brain by centimeters could have been deadly, if God had not turned his head at that precise moment. I believe God spared his life and brought him to this position as our next president. I think God saved him for a very special job.

In the coming months, there will continue to be enemies that threaten our nation around the world and even here at home, and challenges will confront the Trump administration. That’s why more than ever, the president needs the prayers of God’s people on his behalf. 

The Bible clearly says prayer is vital to the success of leadership. 

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3). 

Paul says “first of all” when he refers to prayer. Prayer should be a priority, not an afterthought. It means that God esteems our prayers as crucial in our relationship with Him. He hears and answers them according to His perfect will. The prayers of His people are instrumental in the way He has chosen to govern the world. 

Also take note that “kings and all who are in authority” are particularly called out due to their influence and power. Repetition of the words “supplications, prayers, and intercession” emphasizes the earnestness and fervency our petitions should have. Pray every day, throughout the day.

So when you pray, and I trust you will, pray that President Trump will look to God each and every day for wisdom, guidance and discernment. Since the Bible says God’s purposes will prevail, our leaders need to seek God’s counsel for wise, lasting progress. 

“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:10-12).

And how should we pray in particular for our president? 

First and foremost, pray that President Trump and his advisers will bend their hearts toward God and humbly seek His will. The Bible says: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). Almighty God, the King of Kings, rules over all presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, kings and queens. This also implies that a “king” should be ever humbling himself before the Lord and asking for His will to be done. 

Pray that President Trump will surround himself with men and women who will give him godly counsel. No one person has enough wisdom to always make the right decisions. A president receives an abundance of information from dozens of different sources, but what he especially needs is the wisdom and discernment that comes from people who know God and His ways. 

Pray the Lord will protect Him from harm. There are plenty of adversaries around the world who would love nothing more than to see President Trump fail, not to mention our adversary the devil, who especially targets those in leadership. Never underestimate the wiles of Satan, but don’t overestimate him either. Christ defeated him on the cross and one day soon will cast him into Hades. 

As we pray, remember above all that our hope is in the Lord, not men. Only God can save souls, and only God can bring revival to the nation—a moral and spiritual transformation that brings stability, true peace and God’s blessings. “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed” (Psalm 25:3). God never fails. His purposes are always fulfilled, His plans always accomplished, even when His people are surrounded with evil and chaos. 

So pray. Pray fervently. Pray diligently. Put all your hope in God, who sent His Son to die for our sins and on the third day was raised from the dead! He alone is worthy, and He alone rules over all the kings of the earth. ©2024 BGEA

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.