I know that President-elect Trump has a personal relationship

The words of Paula White—“I know that President-elect Trump has a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We've had in-depth conversations about God.”—resound with the gravity of both faith and politics intertwined. They speak not merely of a man and his private devotion, but of the eternal yearning for leaders who walk in fellowship with the divine. For in every age, the people have looked to their rulers not only for strength of arm or wealth of treasure, but for signs of righteousness, for the whisper of conscience bound to something greater than power.

When she declares that he has a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, she is naming the essence of faith as it has been passed down through the centuries. For true belief is not a garment worn in public, nor a ritual repeated for show, but a private communion of the soul with its Creator. The ancients who embraced the faith of Christ knew this well: that kings and beggars alike stand equal before God, and that the worth of a man is measured not by his throne but by his heart. To speak of a leader’s relationship with God is to remind us of the eternal hope that power may be guided by humility, and authority tempered by reverence.

Her words also remind us of the importance of conversation about God. Faith is not a silent stone but a living dialogue, a seeking of understanding, a wrestling with mystery. The prophets of old—Moses in the wilderness, Elijah upon the mountain, David in his psalms—spoke with God in depth and passion, sometimes with praise, sometimes with anguish. To have “in-depth conversations” is to place oneself in this lineage, to wrestle with truth until it leaves its mark upon the soul. In this, White’s declaration echoes the timeless practice of leaders and teachers who sought wisdom beyond their own strength.

History itself provides examples of rulers shaped by their faith. Consider Constantine, the Roman emperor who embraced Christianity and ended centuries of persecution, declaring tolerance for the followers of Christ. His personal devotion, whether born of vision or strategy, transformed the course of an empire and set the stage for centuries of Christian rule. Or think of Abraham Lincoln, who often spoke of Providence and of his dependence upon God in the darkest hours of the Civil War. For such leaders, faith was not an ornament but a source of endurance and conviction.

The meaning of White’s words is thus twofold: they affirm both the personal and the public dimensions of faith. On the personal side, they speak of a man’s inner walk with God, unseen by the multitude but vital to his own spirit. On the public side, they reveal the desire of people to know that those who lead them are not guided by ambition alone but by a higher standard, a moral compass that points beyond earthly gain. In this tension lies the timeless union—and conflict—of religion and governance.

For us, the lesson is profound. Whether leader or common soul, it is not enough to wear belief as a cloak; one must cultivate a true and personal relationship with God, marked by honest reflection, prayer, and dialogue. And just as importantly, one must allow that relationship to shape one’s dealings with others—with justice, mercy, humility, and truth. Leadership without faith may fall into arrogance; faith without action may become empty words. The true path is to unite both.

The practical action is this: examine your own spiritual life. Do you walk with God in truth, or do you merely speak of Him for show? Engage in your own in-depth conversations—through prayer, through study, through silence, through service. Let your faith be not only private devotion but public witness, guiding your work, your choices, your relationships. And if you hold any measure of leadership, whether over a household, a workplace, or a nation, let your guidance be shaped by the humility that comes from knowing you, too, are a servant under the gaze of Heaven.

Thus let us pass down this teaching: rulers rise and fall, but the measure of their greatness lies not in their crowns, nor in their armies, but in whether they walked humbly with their God. Paula White’s words remind us that in every age, the hope of the people is that those who wield power will also bow before the Eternal. For it is in this bowing that true strength is found, and in this humility that a leader’s legacy may endure beyond time.