Which king will it be, America?

By Patrice Lewis

Now that Donald Trump is slated to be our next president, I’m hearing creative and ludicrous predictions from both sides of the spectrum.

From the left, of course, it seems we’ve elected Satan himself. You’ve all heard the absurd and hyped-up hysteria; no need to repeat it here.

But from the right comes some very interesting perspectives as well. For a certain caliber of people, Trump (it seems) will be the fulfillment of every vengeful vendetta they could possibly imagine. Don’t like somebody? No worries! Our soon-to-be-president will be sure to consult with each fed-up person – personally – to take down whoever annoys them!

These people are assigning Trump ridiculous and impossible superpowers. He’ll become America’s savior, America’s redeemer, America’s rescuer, America’s liberator. He will free us from the horrible progressive chains we’ve been shackled with for the last hundred years! He’ll eliminate our national debt! He’ll reform our public schools! He’ll bring back Windows 7! He’ll eliminate dust bunnies under the bed!

What these people are forgetting is constitutional limitations apply just as much to the political right as to the political left. The subgroup of Americans who wants Trump to eliminate dust bunnies under everyone’s beds forget that the superpowers they’re assigning to the billionaire are completely unconstitutional – just as unconstitutional as the actions of the current and previous presidents on the left.

My only hope is Trump remembers those constraints – unlike every president we’ve had in recent history.

Trump, for all his strengths and successes, is just a man. We cannot misplace our faith and hope in a mere man – too many people did that with Obama – since of course he’s subject to all the human failings and weaknesses that plague you and me.

The reason we cannot have a president who fulfills vengeful fantasies (either left or right) is because our government was never meant to be a vengeful entity, at least in its purest form as laid out in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. When power and revenge start to dominate – as it has in America for decades – then our leaders become tyrannical kings, not presidents.

America doesn’t need a “king.” We don’t need a despotic boss who pushes through his own agenda at the expense of individual rights and freedoms.

But for some bizarre reason, some people prefer kings. They prefer living under someone’s authority. And they especially like it if the “king” is on their side so they can tell others what to do or how to live.

Most presidential aspirants don’t claim to be kings, of course. That’s too un-American. But that doesn’t prevent them from whittling away at rights and freedoms in the name of “safety.” It doesn’t prevent them from offering “free” stuff (food, clothes, housing, education, health care) to gain loyal voters.

And in exchange all we have to do is give up a few minor trifles. We have to give up our children so the king can raise them “properly” with minimal interference from parents. We have to give up our firearms so theaters and schools won’t be shot up. We have to give up our money so people who haven’t worked in five generations can buy big-screen TVs and smartphones, all in the name of fairness.

The illusion of kingly authority provides an illusion of security, and for some reason people prefer security to freedom. Kings will gladly provide security. It’s in their best interest, of course. We are spied upon in the name of security. We are denied freedom of speech in the name of security. We are denied the means to defend ourselves in the name of security. We turn over our children to public schools in the name of security. We are groped in airports in the name of security.

Folks, we’ve been following the wrong king.

What many people today don’t want to admit is America was conceived with the notion of God as the King. The idea was to rule ourselves, with a little help from a constrained and minimal government whose purpose is to safeguard our God-given freedoms, not take them away.

The real King won’t promise any free cellphones, but he can promise a room in heaven. The real King won’t provide clothes, housing, education, or health care, but he can promise love, peace of mind and forgiveness.

We realize it’s up to us to provide our earthly necessities for ourselves, not look to the government. It’s up to us to provide charitably for those who are unable to obtain their earthy necessities due to age, physical/mental limitations, or ill health. It’s not up to the government to steal wealth to provide for those unwilling to work. Only when we put our trust in the true King do we understand the role of government in our lives.

As government ascends in importance, our reliance on God retreats. We no longer beseech the Almighty for help in achieving our goals. Instead, we turn to Congress to provide us with whatever we don’t want to bother achieving on our own. When we allow an earthly king to regulate us, we surrender the ability to regulate ourselves. But when we follow our heavenly King, then we learn to regulate our own actions. We become a strong, self-disciplined people.

In short, if we were to put our trust in the right King, a lot of America’s problems would be straightened out. But if we put our trust in an earthly “king,” then “when that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Folks, the president of these United States can’t give you a single Right. Those are all a gift from the true King. Nor can the president take away any Rights. To lose those God-given gifts, we have to give them away.

This week we celebrate the birth of our King as He appeared in the flesh (hint: it’s not Obama’s birthday, nor Trump’s). I urge you to follow this heavenly King – and accept His free gifts – for the rewards are great. And in addition to reading the second chapter of Luke this Christmas, you might take another peek at 1 Samuel 8 and see what’s in store if we choose to follow the wrong king.

A merry and blessed Christmas to everyone.

Media wishing to interview Patrice Lewis, please contact [email protected].

Patrice Lewis

Patrice Lewis is a WND editor and weekly columnist, and the author of "The Simplicity Primer: 365 Ideas for Making Life more Livable." Visit her blog at www.rural-revolution.com. Read more of Patrice Lewis's articles here.


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