Inauguration Day: Under God, One Nation

Today is inauguration day. Believe me, it does not escape my notice that many are celebrating, and even gleeful, today. Still others are mourning, perhaps even depressed.

I am neither of those things. But I have resolved to strive to be three things, and I would like to invite all believers to join me in those today.

I am resolved to be hopeful—not because of who sits in the White House, but because of Who sits on the throne of Heaven. All governing authorities on Earth are subject to our God as the governing Authority. If I place my hope in any political leader of any party, I will always be disappointed. If I place my hope in Christ alone, I will never be disappointed.

What’s more, His light usually shines brightest in the darkest places.

I am resolved to be faithful. I think often about the book of Daniel because Family Policy Alliance’s theme verse comes from the book of Daniel: “The people who know their God will stand firm and take action,” (Daniel 11:32b). Daniel is a beautiful example of a faithful servant of God who obeyed every command of his governing authority, the king – except one command. In other words, he rendered unto Caesar everything that was Caesar’s. But when Caesar tried to take what was God’s (Daniel’s worship), Daniel had no choice except to disobey Caesar in order to obey God. And God blessed him and cared for him.

Today, this means that I must be obedient to our governing authorities unless they forbid me from freely worshiping the Lord and living out my faith. But, even as I am obedient, I will also stand firm and take action—speaking truth into our culture and engaging with our form of representative government, both for the sake of my neighbor and also because my faithfulness compels me.

Faithfulness compelled us to speak light into President Trump’s administration, and we will do no less in President Biden’s.

At the end of the day, I’d rather be found faithful in the lion’s den than to be found faithless and purposeless even while I am safe from the hungry lions.

I am resolved to be prayerful. God’s Word commands us to pray for those who have governing authority over us—on this His Word is clear. So today, I will pray for President Biden and his incoming administration—for God’s wisdom for them, for their salvation, and for their families. I will pray God would work in and through them for His purposes and His glory.

I will also pray for President Trump, First Lady Melania, and their family as they make this transition out of the White House, thanking God for all his work protecting the lives of babies in the womb and their mothers, and for religious freedom.

And, I will pray for a peaceful transition of power between presidents, as we have had for so many years as a nation.

We know our Pledge of Allegiance says “…one nation under God,” but we’d like to refocus that. It’s time to emphasize the Under God part. We are only a nation because of God. We engage in our form of government because of God, and we’re all subject to God first in how we engage and behave in our nation and form of government.

If you are also resolved to be these three things, I hope you will join us in praying for our country today and by signing up for our Under God, One Nation prayer initiative and rallying cry for the family of believers in our country today.

SIGN UP HERE

Under God, One Nation.

Craig DeRoche
President and CEO