OPINION:
A slight turn of the head. Less than a half an inch. That’s all that stood between life and death for former President Donald Trump on July 13 in a Pennsylvania field. This is a sobering fact that he will internalize and grapple with for the rest of his life.
Some believe that God intervened in that moment. They are correct. There will be those who will mock and ridicule the expressions of faith at the Republican National Convention. They will declare as preposterous any notion that God saved Mr. Trump from assassination.
They will ask how God could possibly save the life of such an imperfect and contentious figure. In doing so, they will not only show their ignorance of the Bible but also their lack of understanding of what makes the United States of America an exceptional nation.
If you believe that there is a God. If you believe that America is no ordinary nation. If you believe that we are “the last best hope of earth” standing in the way of despotism, as President Abraham Lincoln rightly declared. Then it is perfectly logical and even necessary to accept that the Almighty has a hand in our affairs.
Such was a firm conviction of George Washington once wrote of escaping close calls with death, “But by the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me.”
According to Gallup, more than 80% of Americans believe in God. While that number has fallen somewhat over the last decade, the idea that humans are the product of a greater power is still a mainstream idea. That bodes well for the future of an America guided by a Constitution that John Adams said was constructed for a moral and religious people.
God in heaven and Christ on Earth are often called the most unlikely, unwilling and imperfect to have the chance to carry his message.
Mr. Trump may not be a prophet, but he has now been touched by a moment in his life that rocked him to his very soul. It is not foolish to think that he’s been given an extraordinary opportunity.
As a nation and as people of faith, we believe these things happen for a reason. Our relationship with God is what makes us just and strong, even with all our imperfections. For “wherever the spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.”
We live in a nation where atheistic philosophies are infesting our most important and sacred institutions like cockroaches. At no time in the history of America have Marxists and socialists had more power, more money and more influence.
Biblical people believe God uses those among us to affect his kingdom. Our corner of that kingdom is in a pitched battle with forces with a polar opposite view of how best to empower and advance the human condition.
The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 tell us, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will … heal their land.”
Our land — our home — needs healing, and on the road to that restoration there will be hard lessons to be learned and people called to lead that fight.
Was the shooting a “road to Damascus” moment for Mr. Trump? It may be too early to tell. But any thought that the hand of God saved him should lead us to wonder, “For what great purpose?”
Each of us has a mission given to us by God. Some of those missions affect the lives of millions. Others affect eternity in quiet, unassuming and ordinary ways.
But each mission is part of the great story of Creation.
Moments like these remind us of Cardinal John Henry Newman’s words: “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.”
Donald Trump is still with us for a reason. That’s not an accident of history.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV and a Washington Times columnist.
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