2 Chronicles 36:23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you—may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.'”

When you think about it, this was a pretty remarkable decision and proclamation on the part of Cyrus. I can’t help but wonder what sort of dream/vision/revelation he had to bring him to this point. We need to remember that everywhere it says LORD it’s talking about God’s covenant name, written YHWH, which would have distinguished Him from the assorted Baals, since that name is also translated as lord. That title was probably given to Marduk, who was a major god of the Babylonians, and they had several more as well. The point to us is that however He did it, God the Creator of the universe revealed Himself to Cyrus the Persian and told him that the Jews were His people and He wanted them to rebuild His temple in Jerusalem. In other words, God used someone who had no covenant connection to Him to accomplish His purposes. Frankly, that hurts our pride. Where does He get off, using someone who hasn’t been committed to Him when we’ve served Him for so long? That sort of reaction is remarkably common. At the moment, Donald Trump is implementing various policies that bolster Biblical morality and religious freedom in America, but some look at his personal history and despise him anyway. He hasn’t lived like a dedicated Christian for much of his life, but at this point he is showing clear evidence that God has gotten through to him, however He did it. That’s cause to rejoice! Mr. Trump is still far from a perfect human being, but then so are we. The point for us is to seek God and His purposes and not focus on who He chooses to use. The Lord’s Prayer is still valid for every believer to pray!

I was certainly no fan of Donald Trump. Before he ventured into politics I frankly despised him, from what I knew of him, which was certainly not a very Christian attitude! In the primaries I was for Ted Cruz all the way, because I saw in him someone who lived out the faith he proclaimed. In the primaries Mr. Trump reinforced all the negative opinions I had of him! However, as he started to express his policies, especially after he clinched the nomination, I started to realize that he was someone God could use. At this point, seeing how he has been treated, I think Mr. Cruz is blessed not to the the target of such incredible attacks! I see that my responsibility is to pray for the president, just as Paul said. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) I am to pray for God’s control of his tongue and his “Twitter finger,” and for God to refine and guide the team of people that is gathered around him. I am to pray a hedge of protection around him, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He has great authority and thus great responsibility, and he needs all the help he can get. Light and darkness are coming into sharp focus, and I need to be active in and for the light.

Father, it frankly feels strange to be so emotionally involved in politics, since I never used to be. Help me be fully committed to You and Your kingdom, and not to any individual or system, so that I won’t miss whatever part You have for me to play in Your plans, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!