How Can Religious Leaders Influence Political Leaders?
Political leaders, including presidents and monarchs, are God's delegates in laying down the law of the land, ensuring the wellbeing and safety of its citizens. Such responsibility is a weighty one, as the direction of a country or nation is contingent upon the one who leads it. Although politicians have their team members to consult with, religious leaders can have a profound influence on them in the provision of spiritual guidance and wisdom. I think of biblical characters like Nehemiah, who was the cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes, or Esther, the queen of Persian, who informs her husband, King Ahasuerus, of Haman's plot to eradicate the Jews, or the prophet Samuel, who spoke on behalf of the Lord to King Saul.
Just like Samuel, God raised up other prophets who also advised kings in their lifetime, including Isaiah, Elijah, and Elisha. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we can see how spiritual leaders in the Bible were an influence on the monarchs of their day. Moreover, they can offer to pray for them, that God would guide their leadership and that they themselves would seek the Lord for guidance.
While advising political leaders on their governance is important, how much more important it is to provide spiritual counsel on the state of their souls!
In an interview on Allie Beth Stuckey's podcast "Relatable," Jase Robertson, son of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, recalled how his father shared the Gospel with President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign, including sharing words that would ironically foreshadow the assassination attempt on Trump's life last year.
"He's like, 'Hey, you are not getting any younger... there's people after you. He was like, 'Somebody will try to kill you,'" Jase recounted, adding, "It is actually really profound when I think about that."
Phil Robertson's words were a sobering reminder to Trump that the opposition against him as the president is so strong that it would reach a point where someone would attempt to take his life. Moreover, telling the president that he is not getting any younger was a further indicator of the brevity of life. Time waits for no individual on this earth, and each day is a day closer to our inevitable deaths. While thankfully, Trump survived the assassination attempt, which many, including himself, consider to be an act of divine providence, there will come a day in which he will be no more and stand before his Maker as we all do. As Hebrews 9:27 states, "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," noting the timetable of one's life followed by standing before the Lord in accounting for one's life. We see this truth elsewhere in Scripture.
"For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil," Ecclesiastes 12:14.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil," 2 Corinthians 5:10.
"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God," Romans 14:12.
"But they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead," 1 Peter 4:5.
"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done," Revelation 20:12.
Although spiritual guidance over leading the country is important, it is crucial to hear the truth about the state of one's soul. How much more for those who do not know Christ, by whom there is no name under heaven in which we are saved (Acts 4:12). A leader of a country would have to give an account of their lives and for their leadership when standing before the Lord, which is even more daunting given the responsibility they have.
We must continue to pray for our leaders, first, that they would lead effectively and in a just manner, upholding the moral ethic of society and punishing evildoers. Second, and most importantly, they would turn to Christ as Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God the Father. We pray that they would receive the Holy Spirit so that they would be born again, becoming new creations with a heart of flesh over a heart of stone and passing from death unto life. That should be our prayer for them and for all those who do not know God. That the church remain faithful to her clarion call to preach the saving message of the Gospel to the world so that they may know Him and make Him known to the glory of God. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/J.S. Winborne
Originally published March 26, 2025.
