By Gbemiga Olakunle
“IT is not of him that runneth, nor of him that willeth. It is the LORD that showeth mercy”, say the Holy Writs.
Shock and disbelief could be the appropriate words to describe the outcome of the recent United States election. Shock and disbelief because the man whom God has allowed to win the Presidential election seems like a dark horse to the rest of the world in general and some sections of the American electorate in particular. This is more so when the US President–elect has no military or any known political background. He has not occupied the office of a governor before nor has he been elected to serve as a Senator or a member of the House of the Representatives. What is more, Donald Trump has not even served as a Mayor or a Councilor of any of the Counties or the Municipals in the country and yet the man whom most people considered to be very controversial has been elected to be the next occupant of the White House, by God’s grace.
Initially, I used to be an admirer of Mrs. Hillary Clinton- the Presidential flag bearer of the Democratic Party until the woman and her daughter – Chelsea began to show support and identify with the Gay/Lesbian community. The duo even went ahead to participate in Gay parades. That was the point when Hillary Clinton lost my admiration and support purely on spiritual grounds. America is a Christian nation whose moral codes and ethics are based on the Bible. But these moral codes and ethics are being eroded daily in the name of modernism and the so-called human rights advocacy that are being overstretched to the extreme and sometimes out of context. For an instance both the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible forbid gay union, incest, bestiality and other non-conventional sexual relations which seem to be overlooked/ignored and have even become the order of the day in America and in some European countries. And in the name of upholding human rights activism, Mrs. Hillary Clinton and her family have chosen to cast their lots in support of what the Holy Writs have termed/tagged to be abominable in the sight of the Lord. The Scriptures clearly state that “Thou shall not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination. Nether shall thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you. And the land is defiled: therefore I visit the iniquity thereof upon it and the land itself vomited out her inhabitants.” (Leviticus 18:22-25, KJV). And so for the Land of the United States of America not to vomit out its inhabitants – the Americans, the Lord in his own infinite wisdom must have put a halt to possible Hillary Clinton Presidency. That is how I viewed it from the Biblical viewpoint and I stand to be corrected.
Another point that stands in favour of the Republican candidate – now the President–elect is his declared displeasure for radical Islamic or Islam fundamentalists due to the spate of widespread of Islamic terror groups in some parts of Europe and Africa. Against the background of what America and Great Britain have witnessed from suspected Islamic terrorists, Donald Trump avowed disdain for Islamic fundamentalists seems to be a welcome and a good omen to a cross–section of Americans who are mainly Evangelicals and Pentecostals.
However, the President-elect’s victory is greeted with some mixed-feelings especially from the Americans who are of African origin. Trump in one of his characteristic usual outbursts has once allegedly declared that most African immigrants will not be welcomed during his Presidency and those who are residents may be asked to leave especially if they are found to be linked to any Islamic terrorist group or found to be practicing any form of Islamic fundamentalism. The Blacks may have nothing to fear if they choose to obey the laws of the land where they are residing for the purpose of peaceful coexistence. Apart from his hatred for Islamic extremists, no one can say for sure whether the President–elect is a racist who harbours some hatred for the Blacks generally and especially the Black race in the United State. If he does, we will pray that the Lord will touch his heart favourably to favour the Blacks in his country in particular and has favourable Foreign Policy for the African nations; For the heart of the King is like a river in the hands of God, and He can turn it wherever He wants’’ – Prov. 21:1, KJV. Another controversy surrounding the personality of the new President-elect is his purported promise to support some secessionist movements in Nigeria if he should win the American Presidential election. I am sure the officials of the Nigerian government wouldn’t be comfortable with that statement.
American Presidential election must have come and gone, but the lesson shows that God is not a Democrat who operates by some sectional demands. If people can pray and chose to accept His will on any issue of national importance or on personal issues, He may chose to operate the way of seemingly unpopular demands. But since He knows the end of any matter right from its beginning, His Will/choice in any matter will be for the ultimate good of His children/people who may chose to accept His verdict. Besides, God has said that His ways are not our ways and as the Heaven is far from the Earth, so are His thoughts are far from our thoughts . Also the wisdom of this world is foolishness unto God.
Olakunle is the General Secretary, National Prayer Movement
