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134 days until Election Day: “Those with eyes to see, let them see.”

Jun 22, 2020

By Dave Andrusko

I have a small chain of family members with whom I constantly exchange texts and emails. We do that for mutual education, support, and encouragement. I also happen to lead an adult Sunday school class that is finishing up a book by Max Lucado next week titled, “Anxious for nothing.”

In both instances, our go-to passages could be Philippians 4:6-7. Eugene Peterson translate them “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

During one recent class, when we were talking about my favorite topic—how for decades during some of the toughest times, members of this group have been there to support one another—a man brought up Hur. To be honest I drew a blank until he mentioned the context. 

It’s Exodus 17. During a battle (one of many) with the Amalekites,  the Israelites would prevail only so long as Moses held his hands up. Over time, Moses grew weary and so Aaron and Hur responded by holding up his arms until the Israelites were able to prevail.

I mention that today for two reasons. First, as we have discussed many times, there is considerable array of very powerful forces arrayed against pro-life President Donald Trump.

To be absolutely clear, I am not likening or comparing President Trump to Moses. I’ve never done that with any President or with members of Congress some of whom I’ve personally known for 30 years. Nor am I comparing his opponents to the Amalekites. I am making a different comparison. 

I am comparing you and me to Hur. 

Of course we will not physically lift up the President’s arm over the next 134 days. But we can (and we must) lift him up by our prayers.

I can’t help but be bitterly amused when, after non-stop abuse that stretches back to before he was elected, President Trump responds in anger, it’s taken by the Trump-hating media as a sign of weakness. The same men and women who could not stand 10 minutes of snark are so eager to pass judgement on someone who never goes 10 seconds without being subjected to vicious partisan attack. 

Talk about an astonishing lack of self-awareness.

Frankly, I am amazed that President Trump routinely weathers what I couldn’t tolerate for a day. He’s tough.

Second, I never, ever pass judgement on another man’s or woman’s faith. That would not cross my mind.

Consider that POLITICO ran a piece today about pro-abortion former Vice President Joe Biden’s initial outreach to Evangelicals and (to a lesser extent in Gabby Orr’s story) to Catholics. The sources quoted all but chortle that President Trump’s support in these communities may lessen come Election Day.

People of all faiths will make their choice for President in 5 ½ month. 

When you think of Mr. Biden and particularly the manner of people who would surround him, it ought to give you pause to reflect.

As will be the case with all Americans, we can hope that fair-minded Evangelicals and Catholics will look at what President Trump has done on behalf of unborn children and religious liberty and judicial restraint and not be taken in by Biden’s  “weekly call with faith leaders” or a reference in an op-ed to Pope Francis’ second encyclical “Laudato Si.”

All they need to is read the first few paragraphs in Orr’s story and realize that Biden’s old boss—pro-abortion President Barack Obama—did the same thing prior to his first election. And people were eager to be taken in. 

And for all of President Obama’s reassuring words, he never did a thing to further religious liberty, appoint jurists who understand they are not glorified legislators, or reduce the number of abortions.

As bioethicist Wesley J. Smith so often says, “Those with eyes to see, let them see.”

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