How Does God Choose? Whose Prayers Does He Refuse? by Jim Hickey
The truth is, God does not choose sides.
Invoking the divine is a long-standing tradition in American military history, but the rhetoric of the present administration has reached unprecedented levels. Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has positioned himself as a champion of the Christian cause. After surviving the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt, he attributed his survival to divine intervention, claiming he was “saved by God to make America great again” and stating that the event deepened his faith. Yet much of Trump’s subsequent rhetoric strikes a sacrilegious chord. Doesn’t Christianity teach the necessity of humility and the need to examine one’s own conscience?
This tone extends to his cabinet. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has framed military operations in the language of “divine purpose,” asking Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus.” He even compared the rescue of a US airman on Easter Sunday to the resurrection of Christ.
Previous administrations invoked God with more restraint. During the D-Day invasion, Franklin D. Roosevelt led a national radio prayer asking for the blessing of “Almighty God” in a “struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization.” Following 9/11, George W. Bush stated that “the Lord of life holds all who die,” but he stopped short of claiming a divine anointing for specific military strikes. Similarly, Barack Obama frequently spoke of “Jesus Christ,” but within the context of personal faith rather than as a justification for combat. Two passages in Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address perhaps capture this tension best:
It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. . . .
With malice toward none, with charity for all.
Pope Leo XIV has been highly outspoken regarding prayer and conflict, notably during the Iran war conflict. In a Palm Sunday address in St. Peter’s Square, he stated that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war” and rejects prayers from leaders whose “hands are full of blood.” Leo also declared that Jesus is the King of Peace and “no one can use [him] to justify war.”
Aside from Pope Leo’s strong pushback to Trump’s bold statement, “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” a vast majority of conservative politicians, media outlets, and, most surprisingly, clergy have remained silent. This “sitting on the sidelines” approach only bolsters Trump’s sense of invincibility. Does he believe he can walk on water, give sight to the blind, or make the mute sing? Does he truly believe God takes sides in politics?
The truth is, God does not choose sides.
Tom Waits’s beautiful ballad, “The Day After Tomorrow,” takes the form of a letter from a soldier to his loved ones in Rockford, Illinois. Disillusioned by the blood spilled in battle, he asks the very question that today’s rhetoric ignores:
You can’t deny,
the other side
don’t want to die any more than we do,
what I’m trying to say
is don’t they pray
to the same God that we do?
And tell me how does God choose,
whose prayers does he refuse? ♦
Jim Hickey is a member of St. Brigid Parish in Westbury, New York, a Vincentian, and a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of local newspapers.