Rockey's Thoughts

Why did I vote for Donald J. Trump (DJT) in 2016? Here is my explanation. I felt that my country had made a covenant with death in 2008 and confirmed it in 2012. I thought we were doomed, so I didn't have much hope as the 2016 election approached. The slate of Establishment Republicans and RINOs did nothing to lift my spirits. Ben Carson was my early favorite because he is brilliant, an outsider, and a Christian. Then Donald Trump threw his hat into the ring. I'm not a celebrity follower and I don't like reality shows, so I knew very little about him. What I did have was a vague negative memory that he killed the USFL, but I didn't know the details. God is the first priority in my life, so I sought His will for our next President. God didn't speak anything directly to me.

Now before I go on, let me note that I don't think self identifying as a Christian or being a member of a religious organization with a Christian label makes one a Christian anymore than calling oneself a car and setting in a garage makes one a car. I've shared my beliefs in two articles: “Saints and Sinners” and “How Sinners Become Saints.” However, here I will use Christian in the broadest sense of anyone who belongs to a Christian religious organization or simply identifies as a Christian.

As I surveyed the Christian landscape to see what others were hearing from God, I found that there were three main groups. There were liberal Christians who would vote blue, no matter who. Next there were self righteous Christians who felt that they could talk for God. They hated DJT, justified by many religious reasons. Then there were Christians who were humbly seeking to know what God would say. Interestingly they were not only in favor of DJT, but they said he would win the election and that God had chosen him for this time to be a type of the Medo-Persian king Cyrus. Of those three groups, I identify with those who seek to know what God wants to do.

So the next thing I did was to research DJT. He is brilliant and a successful billionaire businessman. He was raised a Presbyterian but then became a millionaire playboy. He has been married three times with children by all three wives. That was easy enough, but what kind of a man had he become over the years. I read the book that he said was his favorite: “The Art of the Deal.” I searched for evaluations by his enemies, friends and acquaintances. Accounts by close friends and enemies were discounted for bias. The best information that revealed the private man were incidents related by acquaintances of events were DJT had nothing to gain personally. I also considered the evaluations of well known Christian leaders who had obtained inside access to the Trump campaign. What I found was a tough negotiator who knew how to evaluate people and projects so he could make incredible deals. DJT is a keen judge of talent. It didn't matter who a person was or where they came from, if they had talent and a good work ethic, he promoted them. Employees without those two traits were removed without ceremony. His children were successful and spoke well of him. His ex-wives did not speak ill of him. Accounts by acquaintances credited DJT with being personable and generous when out of the spotlight. The Christian leaders who spoke to him about faith vouched for him. I don't know the man personally, but it is not an unusual story to be raised in the family religion, go out into the world and come back to faith over time. I believe in God's grace and mercy to redeem people. He did it for me.

I also started to follow the campaign, listening to speeches and watching the debates. The message resonated with me. I too want to make America great again. I want the end of political correctness and free speech restored. I want the swamp drained and government of the people, by the people and for the people to be reestablished. I want justice and freedom of religion in our land. In listening to my enemies I found that they absolutely hated and feared DJT far beyond any Establishment Republican. That was a strong endorsement. I've been sick for years of snowflake Republicans who melt away with the first criticism that comes their way. I watched as my enemies picked them off one by one. Ben Carson wilted with one negative story. DJT on the other hand had staying power. In fact, he seemed to thrive on the criticism and grow stronger with each attack.

I had prayed for nigh on to thirty years that God would take our people and our nation through whatever we had to go through to bring us to repentance and revival that would lead to a great awakening. After 2008 and 2012 I thought that my prayers would not be answered. Then came the election of 2016 and my prayers began to be answered in a way and packaged in a manner that I could never have imagined. My nation is waking up in the natural and I believe the spiritual will follow (1 Corinthians 15:46). That is why I voted for Donald J. Trump. He is keeping his campaign promises, God is moving in our land and I'm thrilled with the results so far.