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John Rowell May 2017

Dear Friends, Please accept this appeal for prayer as an expression of a spiritual concern and not a political interest in President Trump as he begins his first overseas trip since being elected. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul wrote, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” As our beleaguered president begins his “Religion Tour” visiting 5 countries in 9 days, I have been burdened to pray for a spiritual breakthrough for him as he travels. He will be visiting the birthplace of Islam in Saudi Arabia, the capital of Judaism in Jerusalem, and the Vatican, the seat of governance for the global Catholic Church. He will also attend a G7 economic Summit in Sicily and a NATO meeting in Brussels. My intercessory interest is focused on the president’s visits to the three religious centers in particular. I imagine he has no idea about spiritual forces he will be facing as he makes this trip! It has occurred to me however, as I pray for President Trump, that he is like Saul on the road to Damascus, perhaps having had an encounter of sorts with Jesus but not knowing him fully at this juncture. Thankfully, God has placed people in his inner circle, men like Ben Carson and Mike Pence, who are thorough going evangelicals, men who have access to him personally and who can help him gain a better understanding of Jesus and His primacy as King of kings and Lord of lords. It has also occurred to me that this trip allows the president to follow sequentially in Saul’s footsteps during a trip that could help him become a fully committed Christ follower like Paul. Think of Galatians 1:11-12, 15-18, “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ... But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem.” Eventually, Paul ended up in Rome following Jesus direction to testify there as he had witnessed to the gentiles elsewhere (Acts 23:11). So it seems to me that Mr. Trump is visiting these religious centers in the order Paul did in the first century. Might we not pray that in Saudi Arabia the president will not find his meeting with King Salam as meaningful as a personal encounter with King Jesus? Could he not also receive direct revelation from the Lord as Paul did in the 1st century and thereby understand the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully? In Jerusalem, the president will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But he is also scheduled to pray at the Wailing Wall, the first ever sitting president to do so. More pointedly, the president has asked to pray there alone, unaccompanied by any Israeli political official. Already Mr. Trump has penned a written prayer to be inserted in the wall. How will a time of personal prayer in this place impact the leader of the free world? He will also visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the cathedral that purports to be built on a site encompassing both Mount Calvary, the place where Jesus died, and the tomb where Jesus was laid after the crucifixion and where he was later resurrected. What might happen to our president’s heart spiritually as he walks where Jesus walked, and reflects at the place where Jesus died and actually enters the Savior’s tomb, focusing his thoughts on the wonder of the resurrection? What might happen n the lives of Invanka and her husband, both presently Jews, as they come face to face with the gospel presented more directly and clearly perhaps than ever before? We can only pray for God’s revolutionary intervention in their lives! Finally, the president will visit the Vatican, ostensibly to see the Pope. But the schedule includes a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, the burial site of the apostle Peter, a vivid reminder that both Peter and Paul were imprisoned in Rome before each were executed there. Might the Lord introduce the president to a Christian who will remind him of these two great apostles who preached the gospel in peril of death in the city of Rome. May such a person witness to our president about this city made great not by the presence of the Pope but by the blood of the martyrs shed in the Roman colosseum over the years. Mr. Trump may be planning a politically oriented jaunt through these religious sites as a virtual tourist but he could find himself inadvertently caught in a vortex of revelation and divine encounters arranged by God for his spiritual benefit (and for ours should the president become a man more deeply committed to Jesus). That is my prayer and my request for your intercessory support as this month draws to a close. Thanks for indulging me in a prayerful reflection that I hope will encourage more spiritual consideration for a leader who needs more, not less, prayerful support from believers of all stripes, whether or not we are supportive of his politics and policies. As God answers, we we may yet lead a more tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Blessings, John Rowell President, Ministry Resource Network