Before you overreact to the title of this article, let me make clear that I still have grave concerns about a potential Trump presidency, that I have not personally endorsed him, that if the elections were held today I do not know that I could vote for him, and that if there were other qualified Republican candidates still in the race, Trump would not be my first choice.

Nonetheless, when I say that I’m actually rooting for him, what I mean is that I could not possibly vote for Hillary Clinton, and with Trump surrounding himself with so many godly Christian leaders, I’m hopeful that something will sink in and that God will deal with him in a radical way. Perhaps he is listening to some of the solid evangelical leaders who have become close to him?

That failing, I’m hoping that even in his Christian ignorance, even with his glaring character faults, even with his waffling on major positions, he still desires to be a champion of Christianity and genuinely desires to see America turned around and will therefore make the right decisions if elected.

Now, to be perfectly candid, I have no place whatsoever for some of the evangelical fawning over Trump, including a recent article that ended with a quotation from Isaiah 40:30-31, shockingly applied to Trump in quasi-divine terms: “Trump is our energy. … Trump renews our strength. … With Trump we mount up with wings like eagles. … With Trump, we run, we are not weary.”

Readers familiar with this scriptural passage will recoil with this interpretation which replaces the God of Israel with Donald Trump!

This is fawning to the point of near blasphemy.

I also believe that critics of last week’s choreographed New York meeting where Trump spoke before 1,000 evangelical leaders have raised valid concerns: first, regarding our gullibility (did we actually expect anything other than a humble Trump who would answer softball questions in an evangelical-friendly way?); and second, regarding our failure to probe more deeply (as Tom Delay asked, why not ask him where he gets his values from or if he’s read the Constitution and, if so, what he thinks of it?).

Not only so, but we must be cautious in believing reports that Trump has recently become born-again, especially when one of the reports claimed that a well-known televangelist had led him to Christ years ago. (If true, this would speak eloquently to the bankruptcy of some of our contemporary “gospel” preaching.) The old adage remains true, namely, that the only proof of the new birth is the new life (James Edwin Orr).

And still, I am hoping and praying that Donald Trump will indeed have a change of heart and that, by surrounding himself with so many godly leaders — some of whom are known for their no-compromise stands — something will rub off and he will provide a genuine alternative to Hillary Clinton.

Earlier this week, attorney and columnist (and almost presidential candidate) David French expressed eloquently to my radio listeners why he remains Never Trump, and his arguments sound as strong as ever. And it was I who asked him to share his thoughts with my audience.

French echoed concerns I and others have had about Trump for months, to the point that I warned in May that he could be a National Enquirer candidate for a Jerry Springer generation, bringing divine judgment rather than divine blessing to our nation.

Nonetheless, even as one who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz fairly early in the race, I have consistently asked myself if the prophetic word about Donald Trump could be true, specifically, that he would be our 45^th president and, like King Cyrus, a foreign king who did not know the Lord and who was spoken of in Isaiah 45, he would do good for the people of God. (Naturally, such “prophecies” have been roundly mocked by others, and with every presidential election, there are all kinds of alleged prophecies, most of which do not pan out.)

Now that he continues to defy the odds, with the latest poll showing him ahead of Hillary, I continue to wonder if there is a divine inevitability to his presidency.

Again, it could be part of God’s plan to judge and abase our nation, and a Trump presidency could be an unmitigated disaster, even if he appointed a good Supreme Court justice or two. (Wasn’t it Reagan who appointed Justice Kennedy, the infamous swing vote in last year’s redefinition of marriage?) And it remains very possible that Trump will not make it to the White House after all.

But as the one real alternative we have to Hillary, I’m hoping for the impossible and praying for God to do something radical in the life of Donald Trump for the good of the nation of the Church.

Stranger things than this have happened in history, and given the bizarre nature of the current presidential elections — more importantly, given the nature of God — all things are possible.

As I’ve said several times before, I truly hope that I have been wrong about Trump. Having to eat my words would be a joy.