The purpose of this article is not to mock, ridicule, or insult. Nor am I here to gloat or say, “I told you so.” Instead, I want to make a simple, two-fold appeal: First, can we be realistic and recognize that Trump will not be restored to the White House by some kind of military act or miraculous event (other than simply running again in 2024)? Second, can we be mature enough to acknowledge our errors, learn from our mistakes, and move on? In short, can we make this a teachable moment?
When I announced on the radio on January 6th that Trump would not be returning to the White House (meaning, without being reelected in the future), the response from many was outrage. I was a traitor. I had given up the cause. I was like one of the ten Israelite spies who brought back an evil report (in contrast with Joshua and Caleb, who believed in God's report). I was a Never Trumper. I was bought out by the Deep State. I was a Communist infiltrator.
You get the drift.
The truth be told, as a Trump voter in 2016 and 2020, I was privately hoping that the prophecies of his restoration to the White House were true and that the courts would find massive voter fraud, overturning the elections.
But at a prayer retreat in Texas in early December, it became totally clear to me that this would not happen. I simply knew that I knew that this was the case, and I knew Joe Biden would be inaugurated on January 20th.
After that, I was simply waiting for the right moment on my radio show to share this publicly, wanting to extend a safety net to the many whose faith would be shattered when Biden, rather than Trump, was installed as president.
Unfortunately, even after January 20th, many remained in denial.
Some set new dates (after guaranteeing that Biden would never serve as our president). "You watch and see what will happen in March. Make that April. Actually, August. I mean September."
Others concocted convoluted, hyper-spiritual theories, allegedly received by divine revelation. "Actually, Trump is our president, enthroned by God in heaven. Biden has no real presidential authority."
Still, others said, "The prophets were right and Trump did win the election. That's why we need to continue to fight for him to be reinstated. We can never accept the steal, and Biden will never be our president."
The fact is that, whether there was fraud or not, Joe Biden is our president, as recognized by our Congress and courts.
As for Trump, he is not our president, and he is not going to be miraculously restored to the White House any time soon. (Again, this is apart from him potentially running in 2024.)
Can we finally admit that this is the case and move on? Or will we be setting dates for the military to remove Biden in 2022 (or 2023), in keeping with yet another conspiratorial fantasy? I certainly hope we will not.
All of us can make mistakes. All of us can be wrong about our prognostications. All of us can misjudge a situation. And all of us can have faulty "sources" that, in the end, mislead us rather than inform us. And sometimes, to be brutally honest, we just get conned.
The problem is when we can't admit that and learn from our mistakes. The problem is when, as leaders in particular, we cannot acknowledge that our errors have led others into error. The problem is when we blameshift or even misdirect, being more concerned with rallying our base rather than admitting our guilt.
In this regard, a typical tactic would be to attack the messenger, in this case, accusing me of being weak. Or a RINO (I'm actually a registered Independent who votes Republican, based on conservative principles rather than party affiliation). Or approving of abortion (as if recognizing Biden as president makes me guilty of shedding innocent blood). Or lacking in faith. Or being unspiritual. Or whatever.
But that's the least of my concerns. In fact, it is not my concern at all, since I'm not writing this to gain popularity or support.
To the contrary, as the risk of alienating some readers, my only concern is that those who were deceived or misled or misinformed would come to grips with reality, learn from their mistakes, and come out as better men and women for it. As for those leaders who misled or misinformed others, now would be a good time to say, "It looks like I was wrong, and I apologize for speaking falsely and getting your hopes up for nothing. I intend to learn from this and not repeat such errors."
And how will the Lord respond? As the Word says, He opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So, where the shoe fits, get low and receive grace. God also lifts up the humble.