'Trust God to work, no matter who is in office'

In what was expected to be a narrowly won election, former US President Donald Trump declared victory Wednesday morning after securing crucial ground in the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Speaking from Florida, the 47th US president addressed supporters promising to deliver the golden age of America over his next term in office. 'Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason and that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness, and now we are going to fulfil that mission together,' the President said.

While Trump’s victory is a cause for celebration for many Christian voters in the US, others have been staunchly opposed to his return to the White House. Much like the rest of the American populace, Christians have been largely divided over Trump vs Harris and polarised between the dominant parties of the left and the right.

According to the Evangelicals for Harris website, 200,000 Evangelical Christians signed a pledge to pray for Vice President Kamala Harris’ election as president.

'As Evangelical Christians, we pray for a president who will unite our nation through courage, compassion, and self-control,' the pledge states. 'We believe Vice President Kamala Harris most closely aligns with these values, and, as such, we support her election in 2024.'

Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor and founder of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, was one of the Christian leaders who endorsed Harris for the election. 'It’s sickening to see people who say they read and believe the same Bible I do not only refuse to denounce Trump but endorse his candidacy,' he wrote in an opinion piece for MSNBC.

On the other side of the divide, American Evangelist Franklin Graham congratulated President Trump following his win. 'I pray that you will look to God every day for His guidance and wisdom,' he wrote via social media platform X.

So, how do Christians respond today, whether facing crushing disappointment or exuberant relief? Several Christian figures have spoken out to provide guidance and encouragement as Americans and those watching the political scene in the US react to the electoral outcome.

Rev. Dr. Robert W. Lee, an American Baptist minister and a writer for The Christian Citizen, expressed his hope that Christians would take this opportunity to hold the tension of living in the world and being citizens of heaven for the sake of something better.

'While we must not cede the work of political theology to the worst Christian actors on the scene, we must also remember that Philippians reminds us our citizenship is not of this world,' Lee wrote via The Christian Citizen website. 'Christians must live in this tension.'

Writing for the Gospel Coalition in advance of election day, John Sloan, an Alabama pastor, said that Christians can trust God to work, regardless of who is in office. 'While every candidate, presidential or otherwise, is flawed and sinful, we can be confident that God will bring good out of this election. His common grace will ensure it,' Sloan writes. 'The election’s outcome may directly lead to grievous evil, and we should mourn and lament even as we recommit to fighting against sin and injustice. But if the Lord tarries, the sun will still rise on November 6.'