This is my prayer for Republican Senators and Representatives during the 86th legislative session.
Anyone who has watched the House chamber over the the last several years has witnessed the results of tyrannical leadership, top down dictatorial authority and legislators needing their legislation blessed by a lobbyist before it could even move through the legislative process.
Conservatives hopes soared throughout the session and the number of Republicans pushing back on the Joe Straus regime grew. The 15 strong opponents at the beginning of session was clearly a majority of the Republican caucus by the end, and that number grew more after Governor Abbott called a special session which required Straus to openly take up the Democrat mantle.
So now we have a new chapter. And Republicans are more united than ever. Don’t mistake that unification as a declaration that the very liberal wing of the Republican caucus has gone away, or even surrendered. But it is clear that their power has been significantly diminished. Dennis Bonnen seems much more willing to defend Texans during the cultural chaotic times we find ourselves in, but placing your faith in a man who’s been a politician more nearly half of his life is not recipe for success.
In the Senate we lost 2 of the 3 most conservative Republican Senators, and Dan Patrick has been incredibly quiet regarding any conservative priorities this session. You can already hear the rumors of Senators attempting to tamper expectations and the tone of fear that has resulted from seeing several of their colleagues taken out with the Beto wave. This tone compared to last session should concern conservatives.
This is my prayer as we head into this upcoming session:
I pray they would speak boldly as they ought to speak (Ephesians 6:20).
I pray they would be granted discernment into the right battles to have.
I pray they would be given a heart for the most innocent children in our society, and they would be a voice for those children.
I pray they would not tire of doing good, and fight back when tyranny arises.
I pray they would be unified, and that the right policy for Texas would hold higher priority than the personality of any of their colleagues.
I pray they would be protected against every accessible sin known to man, which permeates any political swamp where money and power abound.
Pray for our leaders in Texas. They need it.