When Donald Trump suddenly moved his hand to his right ear last Saturday during a political rally in Butler, PA, I thought he was slapping away a mosquito, not a deadly bullet from an assassin’s high-power rifle.
Bullets from the same deadly sharpshooter killed a former fire chief who shielded his family with his body. Two others were critically wounded. Donald Trump, with blood on his face, raised his fist defiantly as Secret Service men heroically became a human blanket over him, and he asked, “where are my shoes?”
Most of my friends, like me, do not watch the news. There are a few exceptions, but our sentiments are the same: the news is too upsetting, too biased, too likely to cause feelings of inadequacy, and at best it is merely thin slices of information wedged between thick blocks of senseless commercials.
The news of an attempted assignation, however, is one of the exceptions. What can a nation do when one of its presidential candidates is shot? The question is important. The answer depends on factors beyond the scope of the author’s knowledge. I can tell you what I did and what I am continuing to do.
I prayed for all the principal parties, including Donald Trump and his family, the fire chief and his family, the injured and their families, the Secret Service and their families, the shooter and his family, our nation and its future – and the impact of the near-death experience on Donald Trump, a presidential candidate.
It is not easy to pray. For most of us, praying is not natural. Praying must be effective because those who oppose prayer want it removed from the public square. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Claudius, after murdering his brother for his crown, commented correctly on his failed attempt to pray: “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” Act I, Scene 2.
His insincere prayer proved he had not yet repented.
When one sincerely surrenders heart, soul, mind, and spirit to God, even silence before God will convey one’s innermost longing for God’s Spirit and for His help. Jesus reminds us that “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24.
Prayer is mentioned 650 times in the Bible, 279 times in the New Testament alone, and twenty-five of Jesus’ prayers are recorded. Jesus taught us how to pray: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.” Matthew 6:5-8.
A reasonable, 21 st century interpretation of Jesus’ instruction on prayer would also include the following: “Stay in touch with Me. I want more heart-to-heart chats. I know what you need. Learn to listen to Me to see how much I love you and what I want from every corner of your heart.”
On July 13, 2024, in front of the world, God got Trump by the ear. It was as miraculous as some moments of calling in the Bible. It was dramatic, but will it be effective?
This question led me to follow the Republican Convention with intense interest. President Trump typically attended the convention all 4 nights. He was decidedly subdued, unsmiling, and wore the facial expression of a serious, somber, contemplative man. Political conventions are not conventional; they are rowdy, chaotic, and noisy with a disquieting riotous sound mistakenly called music. Yet President Trump remained quiet and focused.
“Every breath we take,” he said on the fourth night, “is granted by God Almighty.” “I thank Franklin Graham for his prayer. He sent me a note asking me not to use foul language in my speeches. My father loved Billy Graham, Franklin’s father, and as a child my father used to take me to Yankee Stadium to hear Billy Graham.”
During the convention, God’s name was used, if not invoked, more than ever before with the possible exception of the days during our nation’s infancy when everything hung in the balance as we struggled for independence from England.
Admittedly, as President Trump’s long acceptance speech continued, many of the old Donald Trump traits bled through, but I like Donald Trump, his youthful-like vigor, his ‘in your face’ approach when necessary, and his integrity when it comes to actually doing what one says they will do.
One of my own ministers calls Trump “morally corrupt.” I ask, “compared to what?” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Do we have any among us or in front of us who are morally without flaws? Indeed, God got Donald Trump by the ear. We pray he and all our leaders obey God as they lead our nation out of its darkness of division.
Are we nearer to keeping our pledge to truly become, “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”? Let us keep that promise in our hearts and minds as we strive all together to make it the reality it must be if America is to become good!
When all is said and done – no matter what side of the political fence we find ourselves on – let us remember to pray for the leaders of our nation.
Robert S. Brown, MD, PHD a retired Psychiatrist, Col (Ret) U.S. Army Medical Corps devoted the last decade of his career to treating soldiers at Fort Lee redeploying from combat. He was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Education at UVA. His renowned Mental Health course taught the value of exercise for a sound mind.
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