Most of us have read the iconic 1888 poem, Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Thayer. He did an incredible job of building up the reader’s boundless confidence in “the mighty Casey,” along with an expectation of triumph, both reaching an apex at the very last sentence. Then, we read, “But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.” Period. That’s it!

Strike One!

There are more than 70 million conservatives in our country who feel much like the crowd in Mudville. We were filled with that same confidence and expectation from all the electrifying Trump rallies. Add in the inspiring campaign ads, and a challenger riddled with both corruption and cognitive struggles. You can see why we felt pumped!

Then, “Strike one!” The mainstream media fired this one. It wasn’t a curveball or a knuckleball. They weren’t even trying to conceal their bias against Donald Trump. It was a fastball right down the middle. They spewed lies 24/7 to make the president look bad. They buried every negative story about Biden, particularly Hunter Biden’s laptop, which implicated Biden in his son’s corrupt dealings in China and elsewhere. Emboldened by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the social media giants censored many voices that might help the president’s cause, including the president’s own.

Strike Two!

The COVID-19 pandemic came as a bewildering knuckleball. Unwarranted blame for deaths linked to COVID (accurately or not) hounded Trump during the entire campaign. But the most devastating component was what didn’t happen until only two days after the vote. (And after major media outlets rushed to announced Biden as “president-elect.”) Pfizer broke the stunning news that they had developed a vaccine that was 90% effective. Two days. Coincidence? I’m not buying that. Just days earlier would have likely made a big difference in the election. (In fact, media have reported that the Biden team pressured Pfizer to wait until after the vote.)

A week later, Moderna chimed in with a second vaccine, supposed to be 95% effective. Shortly thereafter, AstraZeneca announced a third. Many polls had showed the pandemic as the most important issue for voters, even above the economy. The suppression of vaccine news cost Trump an enormous amount of political capital. And all the while, the guy who called Trump a “xenophobe” for promptly cutting off flights from China got cover by the media, and even propped up as our great savior from COVID.

Strike Three!

The final pitch was a slider, a lot like a normal fastball but with just enough break to throw the batter off. The Dems had a comprehensive plan in place to cheat during the election. They thought we would never notice, but we did. We must demand that the revelations lead to major reforms in future elections. But the bad news is, they seem to have gotten away with it in the 2020 election. They proved that conspirators can put an illegitimate candidate in the White House. That was “Strike Three!” And as the Mudville crowd cried “Fraud!” to the umpire, we also cried “Fraud!” to our umpire, the electoral officials in about a half-dozen swing states.

Hundreds of lawyers and surrogates for Trump went to the cities of suspicion and unearthed much crime. It turns out, the pitcher took steroids, and his foot strayed off the mound. And the leaders of those states (including some Republicans) didn’t seem to care. The Trump team was absolutely right to investigate and do everything in their power to produce a just outcome. Colossians 2:18 (AMPC) says, “Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize.”

So, as believers, what do we make of all this, after many of the greatest conservative minds and even well-respected prophetic voices pointed to a Trump victory? The way I see it, there are a couple of possibilities.

It’s the Battle, Not the War

First, we might chalk it up as the devil picking off a battle from us. But that wouldn’t mean we have lost the political war in our country. Let us not forget that we are in a fallen world, and bad things can happen that are not God’s will. I don’t buy the fake “non-partisan” narrative that I’ve heard multiple times this election cycle citing Joshua 5. When Joshua asked the angel (or Christ Himself), “Are you friend or foe?,” the reply was “Neither one.” They relate the phrase “Neither one” to our current politics. They claim that God doesn’t take sides. But God clearly took sides in that battle and supernaturally helped Joshua and his army conquer Jericho.

God is always on the side of His people who will walk in His ways. And politically in the U.S., His ways mostly favor the Republicans. We must continue to fight the good fight of faith, not only politically, but also in the spiritual realm. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12). And I’m not trying to characterize every Democrat with these demonic influences. But the platform of their party is clearly the least aligned with God’s Word (and therefore, His will) and consequently is undeniably the preferred agenda of these dark forces.

A More Opportune Time?

Furthermore, although Trump’s campaign seems “dead,” let’s not forget about Lazarus. The 22nd Amendment, Section 1, (passed by Congress March 21, 1947) says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” It doesn’t say the two terms have to be in succession. They were not in the case of President Grover Cleveland, who served non-consecutive terms as our 22nd and 24th Presidents.

So, think about a major league baseball manager, who wants to put his star pitcher back on the mound in Game Four of the World Series, but he strategically holds him back for Game Five, for the park with the shorter fences and the home field advantage.

Is it possible that God sees a more opportune time to put Trump back in the game in 2024? Could it be that the Republicans will gain both chambers of Congress and by deferring Trump’s second term allow him to get more done? I don’t know, but God does. I do know “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

What the enemy means for harm, God can turn to good (Genesis 50:20). We should be thankful for Donald Trump for changing the Republican party. He taught us how to stand up against the mob and put the people first. He taught us the sky is not going to fall if we take bold steps like moving our embassy to Jerusalem, controlling the borders, or standing up to China. 

A Departure Like Samson’s

Worst case scenario: Trump’s political career is over. Should that prove true, I see his very departure as like Samson’s. He pushed on the two middle pillars and destroyed the Philistines’ temple, “killing more of them in his death than throughout his life” (Judges 16:29-30). The “pillars” Trump pushed over exposed massive election fraud on his way out, and that exposure will energize us to eradicate it going forward.

There’s still a great deal of good in this country of ours, which Trump helped energize us to fight for, whoever ends up leading us. 

“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

Nolan Lewallen is a retired pilot of a major airline and lives near Stephenville, TX with his wife, Kim. Nolan’s two greatest passions are the Bible and politics. His new book, The Integration of Church & State: How We Transform “In God We Trust” From Motto to Reality, brings the two together. Nolan’s other published works include Where’s My 100-Fold Return? A Troubleshooting Guide for the Discouraged Tither (2009), The Sports Edition of the Bible (1996), and The Cowboy Pictorial Edition of the Holy Bible (1981).