Many of us would have heard or read the news of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump yesterday (14 July). Trump was holding a campaign rally for the 2024 US presidential elections when a shooter fired a few rounds that injured him and others, and killed one rally attendee.

Having studied political science and being keenly interested in American politics, it was easy for me to understand things through political and worldly lenses.

However, as I pondered on the incident and its implications for us, I am reminded of a few spiritual and practical lessons for us even though we don’t experience political violence here. These lessons ultimately teach us to look to God in and for everything even as the world around us grows more uncertain and messy.

1. Trust in the Lord

We live in a world where people are emboldened to take matters into their own hands and demand their own versions of justice and morality.

Living in an increasingly polarised society also means people will dislike some individuals and hold strong feelings toward them. That means some might resort to extreme ways to exact a “desirable” outcome.

However, Scripture says that all men have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), meaning no one can perfectly execute justice.

Only by our Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom and whose nature is righteousness and justice (Psalm 7:11), can there be true justice.

We have no power to determine God’s timings and plans because we are merely His creation and He has instituted all earthly authority (Romans 13:1).

There is no place for such violence because we elevate ourselves over God in doing so. When we take justice into our own hands and think we know how to best execute it, we usurp God from His rightful place as sovereign King.

Our response must consider the psalmist’s words in Psalm 46:10: “be still, and know that I am God”.

This is the same God who, in the earlier verse, “makes wars cease to the end of the earth” and “breaks the bow and shatters the spear”.

The psalmist declares that our God is one who delivers, even if we may not yet experience it. Even if it is authority that we do not like, we should trust in our God whose hand is over everything and who is moving for His Kingdom.

2. Remember that earth is not our home

Remembering that our home is in heaven reorients our desire to live for an eternal rather than earthly outcome. 

We know that our citizenship in heaven holds greater weight than our citizenship on earth, and so we don’t have to be too worried about the state of our world and governments because a better and perfect kingdom awaits us.

However, this does not mean that we do not need to care about politics and our society. This also does not mean that we stop trying to reflect God’s attributes like justice and righteousness in our world. Rather, we continue to realise these attributes on earth so as to reveal God’s eternal kingdom to our fellow man.

One way to do so is by being peacemakers. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

We are peacemakers when we respect earthly authority — and not because there is a promise of no conflict. Rather, we surrender ourselves to whoever is in authority trusting that God is over everything and looking forward to a perfect kingdom in heaven.

This also means we do not have to take vengeance against leaders we dislike or who do not reflect godly values. Jesus’ ministry was not about trying to violently topple regimes; He Himself died on the cross so that we may have life.

3. Pray

Finally, prayer postures ourselves to intercede for others and invites God into the dire situations of our world.

We ought to pray for our leaders because God has placed them there, even if we do not like or agree with those in authority. We ought to bless and not withhold prayer from them because God did not withhold His goodness and grace from us.

Perhaps, more importantly, this incident should stir us to pray for America, the Church and Singapore.

It is easy to be bystanders and become ignorant of such developments because they do not happen here or interest us. Such a perspective is shallow and can be dangerous because we harden our hearts toward the realities outside Singapore.

Not praying also inadequately prepares ourselves for something that could very well happen here.

The Christian life is about preparing ourselves especially when considering spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12). We live in an increasingly politically volatile and extreme society where violence could become more frequent and normalised.

We cannot take our sound justice system and government for granted and become insular to the developments beyond our borders.

Fundamentally, prayer prepares our hearts and the Church for any circumstance that comes our way.

It is asking God to show mercy and to do His will in our broken world where we need more of Him — especially since Scripture writes of more chaos to come in the end days (2 Timothy 3:1).

As this news plays out, may we posture ourselves before God and intercede for all involved, for He brings help and strength in times like these.

Let us also not neglect prayer for our world, the Church and Singapore. May His peace reign in all our hearts, and may He have His rightful and sovereign place!