There has been much speculation about the psychological and mental health of Presidents Putin and Trump. Both powerful and power-hungry, with very strong opinions, they seem headstrong and reluctant to take advice. These characteristics fill some people with fear.

It is not our place to assess the mental state of leaders put in place by God, because:

…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will

Daniel 4:25

These words were spoken to the powerful Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had to endure a period of near insanity in order to learn their truth.

Centuries before, a powerful Pharaoh refused to accept the power of God. When Moses and Aaron asked him to let the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt, he responded:

Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.

Exodus 5:2

God then sent plagues on Egypt. Through five of the ten plagues this stubborn man ‘hardened his heart’, and doggedly refused to let Israel go (Exodus 7:13, 7:14, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32). Pharoah’s magicians, who could not mimic the plagues after the first two, tried unsuccessfully to reason with the stubborn despot: “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). But Pharaoh seemed ‘crazy’.

Eventually God Himself hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to show His supreme power (Exodus 10:1).

But there was more to all of this. God had said to Pharaoh:

But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16

And after the tenth dreadful plague, Israel escaped from Egypt in the great ‘exodus’. Pharaoh was utterly powerless against God. God was in control and His purpose was fulfilled (Exodus 7:4-5).

We can be sure that God will also deliver and save those who trust in Him today. No leader, whether mad or not, can thwart the purpose of God in saving ‘His people’. So the message is clear. We need not fear any world leaders. God is greater than all of them and is even working through them to save those who trust in Him. We need to obey and serve God to the very best of our ability.