After President Donald Trump announced that he tested posted for COVID-19 on the morning of October 2, Bill Corbett, former Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer/actor and current political grouser, tweeted sarcastically:
“Hitler has pneumonia and my family and I are PRAYING to GOD for his very quick recovery…”
Regardless of how you feel about the parity of the comparison, Corbett did raise an important question often ignored by Christians: is there a point at which prayers for the health of a wicked person should give way to prayers for their demise?
A number of biblical authors seem to say yes.
Imprecations
There are a number of psalms, called imprecatory psalms, wherein their author prays for God to issue harsh judgments on others.
For instance, Psalm 58 says of wicked rulers:
“Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun” (Psalm 58:6-8, NIV).
Of his enemies the Psalmist prays, “make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels” (Psalm 5:10, NIV).
When reflecting upon men who oppress and kill the poor, he asks of God, “break the arm of the wicked and evildoer” (Psalm 10:15, NIV).
The New Testament is in basic continuity with this mindset in a number of places. For instance, in accounts of the death of Judas, Jesus’ betrayer, we find descriptions which seem to savor the ignoble end which he reached (see Matthew 27:1-10, Acts 1:18). We could also turn to the judgment sayings of Jesus and the book of Revelation, if time permitted.
Loving Our Enemies
Thus far, it appears that the Bible condones praying for God’s judgment on the wicked, though that isn’t the end of the story.
We must also contend with the fact that Jesus commands His followers to do good to those who hurt them and to pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:44-45). Moreover, 13 books in the Bible, the letters of Paul, would not exist if God had struck down Paul before he repented of persecuting the church and became one of its most able leaders and spokesmen.
Thus, we find an apparent tension in scripture. Do we pray for God to save the wicked, or to destroy them?
The most faithful application of scripture would seem to be to pray for the wicked and seek their good, but, if they refuse to repent of their evil, to pray that God would judge them as He sees fit. God is not only a merciful forgiver of those who repent, but He is also the fair judge of those who will not.
Praying for Trump
This brings us back to the question that sparked our inquiry–is it appropriate to pray for the demise of President Trump? This is a much more difficult question because it places us in the judgment seat of God. Jesus warns us about issuing judgments on others, lest God hold us to account using our own standards (Matthew 7:1). For instance, if we pray for the death of Donald Trump because of his treatment of illegal immigrants, might God hold us accountable for our votes for other politicians, on both the left and right, who supported similar policies? If we hate him because of the polarization he has helped spread across our country, will we have to answer for the part we played– for the family relationships and friendships we have destroyed over political differences?
If we are to pray as God would have us to pray, we should pray for the president in the same way that we should pray for all sinners–that God would save them, heal them, forgive their sins, and make them holy people who do what is just. But if they refuse the mercy of God, we can trust that God will deal with their evil and that justice will be done.
One thought on “Praying for Trump’s Demise”
His death would remove the threat of his personal return to power. While the Republican Party is still completely evil, their immediate rallying point will be removed.
The danger to the republic still exists long-term, but this would grant at least a small respite!