And sometimes it’s really hard to know which of the two roads you follow. One of the contractors I used to work with years ago used to routinely quip, “what good is that going to lead to?” It’s a reasonable quip for us today.

There is so much we could say about Mr. Trump, his most ardent followers, his hated enemies, and our country. But what good is that going to lead to? In most cases, nothing I (or you) say is going to change how others think about the current world we live in. This is not an abstract, ivory tower debate, this is real and raw for many people–not the environment for a reasoned discussion. In most cases, I think the less said the better. I would hope that all the politicians and pundits would simply go on vacation and make no public comments for the next two weeks. There will be a time to talk about the next political steps here on BATG, but it’s not today. Today is just a day–like we should every day–we think about what God would have you and I do.

I wrote a few weeks ago on this, saying for us to just rejoice, and the answer is still that. Is it tough to rejoice when the world is in chaos? Of course–but our call is to still rejoice. Our answer today is the same as last summer–prayer not protest. This is a time to put away our idols and call out to a living God. Some Americans continue to commit idolatry by worshiping the state–the state is our deliverer. Others commit idolatry by believing that Donald Trump is our deliverer. Let’s lay down our idols, both left and right, and pull out a coin, and read those words: In God we Trust.

Psalm 146 is good for us to reflect on today, especially v3.

146 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴ When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
⁷     who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸     the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!