By Mark W. Fowler

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 4:1

Former President Donald Trump has had a remarkable few weeks — having his classified documents case dismissed for constitutional reasons and avoiding an assassination attempt.

Vis-à-vis the latter, many have asserted that the near miss was providential. Certainly, it was notable for the fact that but for a minor change in the position of his head, or a minor change in aim, Trump would certainly be dead or incapacitated.

Everyone should be thankful that Trump was not seriously hurt. Everyone should also pray for the three other victims.

The harder question is whether the near miss was providential or just luck. There were three other victims of the shooter; two were seriously injured, one was killed. Corey Comperatore lost his life shielding his family from the gunfire. Reports are he was a faithful churchgoer, and he leaves a wife and two daughters. Where was Providence for them?

The premise of the Book of Job is that a righteous man would be tested to show that his good fortune keeps him faithful when afflicted. His friends, coming to comfort him, urged him to confess some undisclosed sin that brought on the calamity, even though Job had committed no sin at all.

One of many lessons from the Book of Job is this: “Why?” is not an appropriate question for mankind. As God pointed out in his dialogue with Job, “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” Christ addressed this mystery in Matthew 5:45, where He said, “[God] causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.”

While it would be inappropriate to discount God’s involvement in our lives, it might be equally inappropriate to draw conclusions that God is on this candidate’s side or the other candidate’s side. We do well not to objectify those who differ with us. We do better when we wish blessings and good fortune on all of God’s children.

The real question here is the propriety of our response and particularly Trump’s response to this event. Hopefully, Trump will treat this as a gift and feel compelled to change his heart, soften his speech, and be more inclusive. One hopes those would be just the beginning of Trump’s journey. As for those who vehemently oppose Trump, they too need to soften their tone. Trump appears to be on the road for election. In that posture, his opponents do well to avoid the calumny they have thrown his way.

As a nation, what we have in common is greater than that which separates us. Remembering that, it is time for us to come back together and work out our differences with kindness and respect. The Founding Fathers expected we should. The men who died defending this country deserve no less. What is indisputably providential is the gift of our resources and our political framework. It is up to us to acknowledge and preserve it.

Mark Fowler is a board-certified physician and former attorney. He can be reached at [email protected].