I’m grateful to BiblePlaces for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about their unique collection of photos that can illustrate every book in the New Testament.

Today’s Kindle deals include a handful of good options.

(Yesterday on the blog: Understanding Trauma)

Alan Noble says “there are three grave errors I think we can fall into when it comes to speech etiquette, and we should be wary of each of them.” I very much agree (and especially with the first).

TGC recently hosted a song and video contest in which they challenged Christian creatives to put the gospel to song. The results were pretty good! You can listen to an EP of their top tracks.

I was encouraged to learn that Steve Lawson broke his long silence to express repentance and remorse for his actions. “I have sinned grievously against the Lord, against my wife, my family, and against countless numbers of you by having a sinful relationship with a woman not my wife. I am deeply broken that I have betrayed and deceived my wife, devastated my children, brought shame to the name of Christ, reproach upon His church, and harm to many ministries.”

Andrew Walker shares his concerns with Christian nationalism. “The term is essentially vacuous and endlessly malleable. Today, left and right alike still spar over the term. More than anything, though, the term has proven an unhelpful distraction.”

I appreciate what Sandi writes here about praying for our dreams to come true. “Dreams and desires are like butterflies in our hands. We cannot hold onto them too tightly or we will crush them. But if we hold them with open hands, at the right time, God will breathe the breath of his Spirit and they may launch and fly.”

“One profound privilege of pastoral ministry is officiating weddings. It’s always an honor to be asked by a couple to perform their ceremony and help shape one of the most significant moments of their lives. Yet there are five words I dread hearing: ‘We wrote our own vows.’” Joe Carter explains his dread.

I suppose I could be on dangerous ground here, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot and have been eager to “write it out”…Why is it that some people aren’t saved even though they had an opportunity to be?

If we never have headaches through rebuking our children, we shall have plenty of heartaches when they grow up.
—C.H. Spurgeon

This giveaway is sponsored by BiblePlaces.com. They are giving away three sets of the Photo Companion to the Bible: New Testament (complete) and three sets of the Old Testament (14 volumes).

The Photo Companion to the Bible is the best visual resource for studying and teaching the Bible. In terms of quantity and quality, nothing comes close to the outstanding photographs that illustrate the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

This resource is designed to be easy to access and easy to use, with no wasted time searching or asking for permission. The PowerPoint format pulls together photos and explanatory notes, and everything can be easily copied to other presentations.

The Old Testament set includes:

Genesis: 6,800 photos

Exodus: 6,200 photos

Joshua, Judges, Ruth: 6,200 photos

1 Samuel, 2 Samuel: 5,900 photos

1 Kings, 2 Kings: 7,400 photos

Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Psalm 23, and Daniel: 6,300 photos

The New Testament set includes:

The Gospels: 10,000 photos

Acts: 4,200 photos

Paul’s Epistles: 8,000 photos

General Epistles: 4,800 photos

Revelation: 3,000 photos

The Photo Companion to the Bible is available now. Check out our special offers now.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

I don’t remember encountering the word “trauma” very often in my younger years, yet recently I seem to hear it all the time. What was once deemed a rare experience or one rarely talked about, has become a common experience and one talked about both openly and often. Where perhaps it was once defined so narrowly as to apply to almost nothing, today it may be in danger of being defined so widely that it becomes almost devoid of meaning.

Understanding Trauma

I’m convinced that if we define the term well and apply it judiciously, it can help us learn to understand and come to terms with our own experiences. I’m convinced it can also help us extend love and care to other people through their experiences. Not all of us need to be experts in trauma care or recovery, but all of us would benefit from understanding the language of trauma and the way it manifests in those who have experienced it.

Dr. Steve Midgley has been both a psychiatrist and a pastor, though now he is Executive Director of Biblical Counseling UK. From all three perspectives, he has seen trauma. Particularly, he has seen how churches can help or hinder those who are grappling with the effects of trauma. His desire in his new book Understanding Trauma: A Biblical Introduction to Church Care is to help churches help people. “This book is not intended to be a trauma-recovery guide,” he says. “Nor is it designed to equip people for any kind of trauma counseling. Some Christians will want to develop the experience and skill to engage in care at that level, but for most of us our ambitions will be much more modest. We simply want to better understand people who have experienced trauma so that we can be good friends and can provide wise pastoral care. We want to know how to speak wisely and avoid clumsy missteps.”

To accomplish this, Midgley begins with a series of relatively brief chapters that define trauma and provide examples of it in the Scriptures. He also tells how churches can be helpful and unhelpful in their response to it.

With these opening chapters behind him, he looks at contemporary perspectives on trauma, focusing predominantly on Bessel van der Kolk’s perennial bestseller The Body Keeps the Score, a book that has done more than anyone or anything else to inform culture’s perspective on the subject. He also explains how trauma affects memory, the body, and relationships.

The third and final section of the book focuses on ways the local church can respond compassionately to those who have been traumatized by life’s difficulties. He talks about lament, beauty, hope, and care. He encourages the church to be both sensitive to trauma and faithful in caring for those who are dealing with its long and discouraging effects. He urges local churches to be a place of understanding, a place of compassion, a place where the Lord can bring the best kind of trauma recovery.

This book was extremely helpful to me as I considered people I know who have been traumatized by grief, pain, and abuse. It was helpful to me as I considered how I could better relate to these people and others like them, extending to them the comfort and grace of God. It was helpful to me as both a pastor and a church member, one who longs for his church to lovingly support the ones among us who are bearing heavy burdens and carrying sore wounds.

Westminster Books has a collection of “Springs’s Best New Kids Books” discounted this week. I was thankful to see my graphic novel Eric’s Greatest Race at the top of the list. It’s coming very soon, so this is a great time to pre-order it!

Today’s Kindle deals include the usual collection of 6 or 8 good books.

What happens when puppies begin to replace people? This article looks at a comment by a Christian antagonist that was very revealing in what it says about modern culture. “Kids are the new boats. Pets are the new kids. Plants are the new pets.”

byFaith has been offering some reflections on the church five years after COVID. In that vein, Jake Meador offers some helpful thoughts on learning to disagree as Christians. “If our hope for Christian unity is found in agreeing on an extensive, exhaustive list of political and public health questions not directly addressed by Scripture, then we have no grounds for hope.”

Writing with younger believers in mind, Mike summarizes some of what the Bible says about demons and spiritual warfare. “I haven’t done this, but I suspect that polling our youth groups about whether or not the devil and demons are real would have troubling results. Perhaps a poll among youth pastors would fare similarly. It’s simply something we don’t talk about.”

“If we think prayer is easy, like a tasty treat to indulge in before or after a long day, we’ll likely drift from the practice when it doesn’t seem enjoyable. We miss the deeper truth that prayer is more like strapping a sword to our side, readying ourselves for spiritual war. We don’t know what role our prayers play in the ongoing spiritual battle around us, but we believe—even when we can’t see—that prayer changes things, that more is happening in us and around us than we can imagine.”

Stephen Kneale: “Gen Z may be the generation who force the question more directly: is there more to life than work? Their answer is a hard yes and, to be frank, I agree. We would be much happier if we did more for the life side of the equation.” But this doesn’t give license for employees to do their jobs badly or to the bare minimum.

Here’s John Piper on how much of Christianity remains a secret. “Our knowledge of God now in this life is limited, true, enough, and glorious. And our knowledge of God in the age to come will be immediate, eternally inexhaustible, ever-increasing, glorious, and all-satisfying. So, let me try to show from the Bible why I describe our knowledge this way.”

I’m convinced that part of the joy and the awe of heaven will be journeying back down the road of our lives and the road of human history. But this time we will travel the road in the opposite direction.

It is not primarily the absence of bad things that is going to make the new heavens and new earth so wonderful—it is the presence of Christ. In eternity, he will be at the centre and being with him will be our ultimate joy.
—Helen Thorne

As usual, you will find a nice selection of Kindle deals to consider today.

(Yesterday on the blog: When The Path That I Fear Is the Way He Has Set)

Alan Noble: “One way the contemporary weirdness about death appears is through a hope and striving that it will not ever come, embodied in figures like Bryan Johnson, who has just announced on Twitter (as one does in 2025) that he is ‘building’ a ‘new religion’ called ‘Don’t Die.’” Noble explains why this religion was perfectly designed for the contemporary world.

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra writes about potential signs of revival on campus. “As the culture darkens, especially on university campuses, the light of Jesus is shining brighter. As the promises of sin prove themselves false, the image-bearers of God in the next generation are looking for something better.”

Through robust study content and high-quality materials, The Church History Handbook is a valuable resource for studying every major period of church history and is designed to last a lifetime. (Sponsored)

Jacob explains how the sun is actually a shadow.

“Trouble in this world isn’t a surprise. As Christians, we know it’s not only a possibility but a certainty. Sin will cause brokenness, injustice, and despair. We’re mere sojourners, after all. We travel and live for a time—waiting for our better home. In the meantime, we’ll feel the groans of the labor that takes us there one wave at a time.” So how should we live in light of this reality?

Here are 9 ways to get more out of your reading. “Learning how to get more out of your reading is learning how to see the truth, goodness, and beauty the author is proclaiming to the reader. Learning how to get more out of your reading is learning how to see the shadow of the Greatest Story woven into the book in your hands.”

“A thing that, at times, has been difficult for me is learning to reconcile the truths of Scripture that I know are true because it’s God’s Word, yet have not seemed to be true or, at the very least, have not felt true in my experience.” That’s true for all of us at times, I think.

God is the giver of every gift and the gifts he gives to his people are only ever good. Our task is to receive them from his hand, whether one talent or ten, and unleash them all for the good of others and the glory of his name.

If we are interested in God, we should be interested in theology.
—Michael Horton

There are some lyrics we all especially treasure, certain lines that settle in especially near to our hearts. Personally, I often find myself pondering the words that begin CityAlight’s “In the Valley (Bless the Lord).” “When the path that I feared / Is the way He has set / And I long to give in and retreat.” While admitting I may be biased since CityAlight wrote the song to accompany my book Seasons of Sorrow, I believe the words describe an experience that every Christian knows.

At certain times each of us finds that God is leading us down the path we had dreaded, the path we had feared, the path we would never have chosen for ourselves. And in those moments—moments of looming grief, moments of looming poverty, moments of looming relational brokenness—we often long to give in and retreat, to turn from God in despair, disobedience, or disbelief. Few things are more intimidating than being led where we have not gone before and where our hearts may fear to go.

In such moments, I find there is comfort to be had in pondering God’s care for his people Israel, and especially considering the time they were called by God to go in a way they had never gone before—to stop their wandering and cross the Jordan, to exit the wilderness and enter the Promised Land. They were to leave behind the well-known patterns of the wilderness and do something new, something intimidating. Though God told them the final outcome would be good, they must have still feared the process and wondered if God was actually trustworthy and reliable.

It is good to consider then, that when God called them to cross the Jordan, he led the way. The first move was not by the people but by God—God in the hands of his representatives, the priests. The priests initiated the crossing when they picked up the ark of the covenant and walked with it into the river. Before the people went into the river, God went into the river. This means that God’s first and greatest provision in their time of uncertainty was himself. He not only commanded them but he also accompanied them. Israel was never alone in their time of anxiety and uncertainty. And similarly, we are never alone when we go through times of hardship. Whatever God calls us to do, we can be certain that he will accompany us—that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

I have been comforted also when I consider that God meant for his people to fix their eyes and hearts on him instead of the obstacle that lay before them. When God’s people walked toward the river, when they were in the middle river, and when they came toward the far bank and perhaps considered fleeing back to the familiar wilderness, they could always look to the ark and see God’s presence with them. They could simply look and believe—they could choose in that moment to exercise their faith and trust in God.

And don’t you know the temptation to have your mind consumed with thoughts of your difficulty, your sorrow, or your heartbreak instead of thoughts of God? The more you stare at the river, the more it will seem to grow wide and fast and fierce. But the more you focus on God and the more you ponder who he is, what he has done, and the promises he has made, the more you will know that he is the one who rules over the river. God isn’t merely sovereign in your salvation but sovereign in your every circumstance. When you are in that time of difficulty, that time of uncertainty, look to God, remember his promises, and he will keep your heart steady and true.

The hope of “In the Valley” and the hope of Israel crossing the Jordan is that God always remains present with us. The confidence we have when we are being led in a way we have not gone before and a way we do not wish to go is that the God who leads us is the God who accompanies us. This God is always before us, always beside us, and always behind us, this God is always present, always sovereign, and always so very good.

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a deal this week on Wiser with Jesus, a new book from Zack Eswine that’s on my list to read.

Today’s Kindle deals include Nancy Pearcey’s Saving Leonardo, Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, David Powlison’s Speaking Truth in Love, and several more.

Andrew Butterworth considers prayer and some of the mistakes he made when learning to pray. Each one of the ten is helpful in its own way.

Believe it or not, sometimes it’s good to argue (provided that we properly define and understand the term). “We shouldn’t quarrel, but engage others in a kind, gentle, and patient manner as we make an argument. Our goal is to correct mistaken thinking so that others can escape the falsehoods of the enemy and repent. May God grant us the wisdom and words to make a compelling case for his truth.”

“If we allow our thoughts about work to be shaped by the world, we will be susceptible to making our vocation into an idol. It is not enough to work but to work diligently, so that we do not give room for slothfulness, nor do we simply become men-pleasers. We should take to heart the strong language of Scripture about sloth and laziness. In our labor and in all areas of our lives we are to live to the glory of God.”

Darryl reminds us of an important fact: “Divisions in the church can be part of God’s sifting process. When a church is unhealthy, those who desire God’s glory stand out. Conflict in a church reveals what is in our hearts.”

“The way we respond to sad seasons may vary over our lifetimes. We may have seasons of many unexpected tears, and seasons when the tears simply dry up.” We grieve in many different ways and at many different intensities and that is okay.

Trevin Wax wants Christians to be ambidextrous apologists. “Intuitional religion mixes with institutional adherence. It’s not uncommon to find people mixing and matching different aspects of spirituality and religiosity as they cobble together an identity of their own that just so happens to coincide with church attendance.”

To say, “I’ll pray for you” is to say, “I will speak with the Author and Creator of all things. He’s my Father and invites me to come to him any time. I will speak to him about those things. I will plead his promises…”

A fit of sickness may do more for soul-health than years of bodily strength and comfort.
—Theodore Cuyler

Today’s Kindle deals include Sighing on Sunday by Megan Hill, Perfect Unity by Ralph Cunningham, and several other good books.

Logos users, March Matchups continues with just a couple of rounds of voting remaining. Be sure to consider the deals that are already available.

(Yesterday on the blog: What’s a Trade War and How Did We End Up In One?)

This is a really good article on what we gained and lost when we all made the move to livestreaming. “What began as a temporary necessity has become an expected staple of the church’s ministry. As people began returning to worship, committees and the session debated whether livestreaming should continue. If so, for how long, and for what purpose? Those were difficult questions to weigh at the time, in an unprecedented situation. But now, with five years of experience, what evaluation can we offer about the place of livestreaming in the church’s ministry?”

Emily Van Dixhoorn writes compassionately and biblically to the spouse of an unbeliever. “I heard that you are married to an unbeliever and could use some encouragement. I wish you and I could sit down over coffee together and I could hear about your specific struggles. But for now, I pray that God will graciously use my words here to comfort and strengthen you.”

“It hit me Thursday morning as I pulled into the parking lot for work. Exhaustion is its name and I quickly questioned, ‘How am I going to make it through the next 48 hours…’ I was ready to stay in my car, turn around, and plop myself onto my bed.”

Jana lists several ways that writing has drawn her near to God (which is to say, how it has been spiritually beneficial).

It is good at times to remember truths that some find basic and some consider impossible or even abhorrent. “God overcomes the humanly impossible and brings us decisively to faith and to union with Christ for salvation.”

“There are certain moments a father never forgets. One of the sweetest memories of my young children occurred when I came home after work. Immediately, my children would drop whatever they were doing and scream ‘Daddy’s home’ while running full speed into my kneecaps. Though I came home every day, they greeted me as if I had been lost at sea for the past year and unexpectedly found my way back.”

Is it unspiritual to be depressed? This author answers with a confident “no” (or “no, not necessarily”) and does so in a well-written and helpful little book that I am certain will be a blessing to many.

The more empty I am, the more room is there for my Master. The more I lack, the more He will give me.
—C.H. Spurgeon

This week the blog is sponsored by BiblePlaces.com. This post features a Q&A with Dr. Todd Bolen, professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University and the founder of BiblePlaces.com.

How do photographs help in studying and teaching the Bible?

First of all, the Bible is a record of real history, of God working in the lives of real people and real places. Photos immediately reduce the distance between here and there, now and then. Second, photographs help us to understand God’s Word more accurately, instead of relying on our imaginations to fill in the details. What does the Mount of Olives look like? How big were the synagogues Jesus taught in? What is the terrain like where the Good Samaritan loved his beaten-up Jewish neighbor? A picture can often answer these questions more effectively than a thousand words.

How did you get involved in creating photo collections to illustrate the Bible?

I lived and taught at our university’s campus in Israel for more than a decade. Traveling to the biblical sites again and again gave me the opportunity to take tens of thousands of photos. I rented airplanes so I could fly over and photograph biblical sites, and I traveled extensively to other countries throughout the Middle East to photograph everything relevant to Scripture. While many of these photos have been used in study Bibles, atlases, and archaeology magazines, the heart of our team’s mission is to provide Bible students and teachers with high-quality images that help to explain and illustrate the biblical text.

How can a student or teacher use photographs to enhance their understanding of Scripture?

One place to start is by looking at photographs of biblical sites. If you are reading about Capernaum, it helps to see pictures of the village’s situation on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The synagogue where Jesus preached and the house where Peter lived are better understood when looking at photographs of these places. Similarly, artifacts from the ancient world can be very illuminating, such as slave chains, a Roman sword, or a silver denarius. In the old days, books would give descriptions of these artifacts, but now we have the technology that makes it easy to view and display large quantities of high-resolution full-color images.

Can modern photographs really help us to understand the ancient world?

Absolutely! Many things look today as they did 2,000 years ago. Landscapes of Galilee where Jesus walked and Greece where Paul traveled are virtually unchanged. Many ancient sites have been excavated and some have been reconstructed. Museum artifacts also help us to get a glimpse into the past. Something else quite valuable are historic images taken 100–150 years ago that peel back the layers of modern construction. Altogether, we have a remarkable advantage today in understanding the ancient world that was not possible prior to the invention of photography and recent technologies that make the distribution of digital images quite affordable.

Why is the Photo Companion to the Bible useful to Bible students and teachers?

I am a professor and a Sunday School teacher, and our team is made up of others who also love and teach the Bible. We know what the busy Bible teacher needs. The Photo Companion to the Bible is carefully organized, so you can find all the relevant photos just by looking up the chapter and verse you are studying. For example, if you are learning about the parables of Matthew 13, you’ll find more than a hundred images of sowers, wheat fields, dragnets, and valuable pearls.

Our collections are designed for those who have not traveled to Israel or other biblical countries, and we provide explanatory notes that give important details about what the image is and why it is significant. The PowerPoint format is ideal because it brings together the photo, the description, and the explanation all in one place, and those using PowerPoint for teaching can easily copy and paste the slides into their own presentations.

Our photo collections are also affordable, with hundreds or thousands of photos in each volume. The purchaser is granted broad permission to use these pictures in their Bible studies, classrooms, and churches. That eliminates the concern of wondering about copyright violations when you are grabbing an image from some website or Google search.

Why not just use images available from a Google search?

Five reasons: time, quality, accuracy, knowledge, and legality. Searching for the right image can burn up precious time, and when you multiply that by weeks of study and preparation, that adds up to a significant investment of time. Second, the quality of internet images varies widely. Our images are the best of the best of 30 years of living and traveling throughout the biblical world. Third, you can’t believe everything you read on the internet! Images are sometimes misidentified, and if you are not an expert you won’t necessarily know what’s right and what’s wrong. Our team of biblical scholars ensures accuracy in every detail. Fourth, the average pastor or professor, as trained as they are, doesn’t even realize the possible illustrations that exist. You can’t find what you don’t know to look for. Finally, there may be copyright restrictions that require you to seek permission or make payment. Our collections avoid all of that hassle.

What is available now and what are you working on next?

Our first collection was the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a 20-volume set that provides photos organized by biblical region, from Galilee to Greece and more. Our newest collection is the Photo Companion to the Bible, and we have completed the entire New Testament. We have also finished most of the historical books of the Old Testament, including Genesis, Exodus, Joshua through 2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Daniel. We’re working this year on Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. It’s really astonishing just how much of the Bible can be illustrated with photographs. Our university students love these, as do those we teach in our churches, and we love to see other pastors and teachers get excited when they realize the possibilities!

The Photo Companion to the Bible is available now. Check out our special offers now.

A couple of months ago, I wrote an article titled “Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State.” It began with the words, “These are strange days in Canada.” Little did I know—though I suppose I should have predicted—that they would only get stranger.

Two months ago, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, had become so unpopular that he suspended parliament and announced he would resign as soon as his party—the Liberal Party of Canada—had chosen his successor. Under the parliamentary system, this successor would immediately become prime minister.

At the same time, President Trump had just announced that he would soon put a 25% tariff on all cross-border trade in response to Canada’s lax concern about fentanyl production and exports. Meanwhile, he was also openly stating his intention to deploy economic force to annex the country while also calling Canada the 51st state and gleefully mocking Trudeau by referring to him as the Governor of Canada.1

A New Prime Minister

A lot has happened since then. Trudeau spent two months as a lame-duck prime minister while the Liberal Party went through the process of choosing a new leader. On March 9 the party chose Mark Carney.

In a strange quirk of the parliamentary system, Carney will become Prime Minister even though he is not a Member of Parliament and, in fact, has never been elected to any office or even pursued a political career until a few months ago. He did, however, head up both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, so he has been involved in governance on those levels. While Canada must have an election no later than October, he is widely expected to call one sooner. The Canadian electorate tends to quickly turn on prime ministers who come to power this way, so most people think he will try to gain a four-year mandate while he is still relatively unknown and, therefore, relatively well-liked.

Trade War

On the other side of the border, Trump relented on tariffs for a month, then instituted them on March 4 (though a couple of days later he postponed a good number of them until early April). Canada responded by adding retaliatory tariffs on a swath of goods imported from the United States with many more to come in April. This led to a phone call between the two leaders that reportedly included few resolutions but much profanity. This interplay of initiating and responding to tariffs is known as a trade war. At the moment, then, two countries who have long been fast friends are locked in a kind of economic conflict. There is a sense in which, due to the nature of tariffs, each country is hurting itself in an attempt to harm the other. I suppose that’s why you often hear the adage, “Nobody wins in a trade war.”

A tariff is a tax that is levied on goods exported by one country and imported by another. This tax is charged to the importer in the destination country and paid to that country’s government. Hence, when President Trump instituted tariffs on all goods crossing from Canada to the United States, it is American businesses that now have to pay a 25% tax and remit it to the U.S. government. They pass this cost to consumers, thus raising the cost of goods within the United States. The theory behind tariffs is that they will make foreign goods more expensive, thus spurring American resource extraction and manufacturing. Eventually, America will have no need for Canadian goods and the economy will thrive as American companies fully create everything American consumers need. A little short-term pain is meant to lead to great long-term gain.

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs will be paid by Canadian companies that import American goods. The companies will then pass the costs to consumers, ultimately elevating costs for Canadians. The theory is that this will lower demand for American goods, thus harming American manufacturers and causing them to express their dissatisfaction to the president, eroding his popularity and causing him to relent. Of course, there is a massive disparity in the size of the two countries and their level of economic dependence upon one another, so America maintains a significant advantage in this trade war. The current Canadian response represents merely a tiny fraction of America’s GDP. However, America does rely on significant imports of crucial products such as oil, potash, nickel, and electricity, and these are regarded as key leverage if and when the conflict escalates.

It is my understanding that President Trump wants his legacy to be one of initiating a new golden age for America, making her wealthier and more powerful than ever before. There are significant governmental expenses involved in running a nation as big as the United States and this cost is primarily covered by income taxes. While Elon Musk and his DOGE attempt to reduce governmental size and waste, Trump is attempting to fund the government in a new way—by the tariffs that will eventually allow him to remove income taxes. Essentially, he means to have other nations pay the costs involved in running a government in return for giving them access to America’s economy. It’s a bold plan.

I have far too little expertise in economics to judge whether his theory is sound. And because I am not American, I pass no judgment on his actions and policies—he was elected by the American people to spur the American economy and he is convinced this is the way to do so. The American political system provides plenty of accountability and the electorate will ultimately pass favorable or unfavorable judgment, which is as it should be in a democratic nation.

The Impact in Canada

What does concern me, of course, is how Trump’s policies impact life on this side of the border. If the tariffs remain in place over the long term, Canadian economists predict that due to the interconnectedness of our economies, it will cost hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs and send the country spiraling into recession. The government has already indicated its willingness to respond as it did during the pandemic with relief policies that will pour vast sums of money into the economy. While this may mitigate some of the initial pain, it will inevitably also increase the national debt, spur new waves of inflation, and further erode the already-declining standard of living.

Meanwhile, Trump’s policies have ushered in a new and unexpected wave of Canadian patriotism, some of which is manifested as anti-Americanism. Many Canadians are angry at America and are responding by canceling trips to the United States and deliberately buying Canadian products instead of American ones. They are also booing the American national anthem before sports games. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say US-Canada relations are lower now than they have been for centuries. (I’ll go on record and say I intensely dislike people booing the anthem, especially since this means they are often booing a musician who was given the honor of singing the anthems. Shop Canadian if you are so inclined, but don’t boo another nation’s anthem!)

Trump’s policies have also transformed the political scene in Canada. Two months ago it looked like Trudeau’s Liberal Party would be devastated in a forthcoming election, but economic uncertainty and the choosing of a new leader has given it fresh life. At the same time, Canada’s left-leading parties and media have been trying to portray the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party as a Trump imitator or sycophant. Canada tends to treat the Liberals like our default party, so unless there is a strong force compelling people away from it, it tends to gain and retain power. Still, current polls mostly do show Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party maintaining a lead, albeit a narrowing one.2

And then these policies have left Canada in a place of uncertainty and perhaps even fear. Though it may sound melodramatic, many people are genuinely concerned that Trump intends to invade or otherwise annex Canada, especially if the trade war begins to negatively impact the American economy. It is too early for Canadians to feel significant pain related to tariffs, but we have been warned that when the increases come, they will be fast and steep. They will apparently impact produce and hygiene products first since many of these are sourced primarily from the United States. Other products will follow as the Canadian government ratchets up the retaliatory tariffs. Again, it’s the strange strategy of a trade war that Canada’s government intends to double down on the harm to its citizens in an attempt to force the issue to its climax.

The reality is that Canada is essentially at the mercy of Donald Trump, his keep-them-guessing style of leadership, and his protectionist policies (which, you may correctly surmise, are proving how shortsighted Canada’s government has been in failing to diversify our trade in favor of putting almost all our economic eggs in the American basket). The country is waiting to see whether his back-and-forth policies are a tactic for renegotiating USMCA—the trade agreement he negotiated and celebrated in his last term—or an indication that he actually does intend to press forward with across-the-board tariffs. As I said initially, these are interesting days—interesting and very uncertain.

It doesn’t much matter who is president or prime minister when we know that God is King.Share

They are ideal days, then, to remember that governments rise and fall, rulers are elected and deposed, and policies come and go, but God oversees and superintends it all. Uncertainty is merely a human perception based on our limited knowledge. Nothing is uncertain to the God who knows the end from the beginning. He is the one who steers and directs the hearts of kings, presidents, and prime ministers alike. He is the one who, in one way or another, will ultimately be glorified. So whether on this side of the border or that, we can have ultimate confidence in him. It doesn’t much matter who is president or prime minister when we know that God is King.

Prayer

If you’re in the habit of praying for Canada, here are some prayer points you might keep in mind.

Pray that Canadian Christians would not despair over bad government or have idolatrous hope in better government, but fix their ultimate trust on God. And then pray that in the coming weeks or months, Canadians would elect a government that enables Christians to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:2).

Pray for peace between Christians in Canada and the United States. Political pressures have often been known to disrupt relationships and it would be a great sorrow if disunity on tariffs or international politics in any way interrupts the much more important unity we have in Christ. (See Darryl Dash on this.)

Pray that if and when the country and economy totter, the hundreds or thousands of faithful local churches in Canada will continue to boldly proclaim the unchanging and always-stabilizing gospel of Jesus Christ.