From at least the time of President Lincoln to the present era, most presidents have taken on a responsibility that is hard to imagine. I personally believe that they are within their right to do so and litigation has exonerated their actions, though it hasn’t curtailed the criticisms. These presidents have either entered wars or begun military operations without congressional consent or approval.
In 1863, President Lincoln ordered a naval blockade of Confederate ports without congressional approval. This riled many and it was left to the Supreme Court to decide. By unanimous decision, they stated that the president was well within his rights.1
In modern days, presidents Reagan, Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump have all ordered military actions without the approval of congress. They did what needed to be done and have often paid for it dearly in the court of public opinion. On this day in 1950, Harry S. Truman took his place among his predecessors and successors. He sent troops into Korea without the approval of congress.
“On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and pushed south toward Seoul. President Truman responded within days, ordering American air and sea forces to support South Korean troops. He did this on his own authority as Commander-in-Chief, without requesting a declaration of war or any other form of congressional authorization.
“Speed was one motivation. The North Korean advance was rapid, and Truman believed waiting for a full congressional debate risked losing the peninsula entirely. But the decision also reflected a deeper conviction about presidential power. Truman viewed the commitment as a limited response to international aggression, not a “war” in the constitutional sense. By calling it a police action under United Nations auspices, the administration sidestepped the question of whether Congress needed to weigh in at all.
“Truman was also fiercely protective of executive authority. Secretary of State Dean Acheson later acknowledged that the president saw his office as a trust he was determined to pass on without any erosion of its powers. Requesting congressional approval, in Truman’s view, might create a precedent suggesting that future presidents needed legislative permission to respond to sudden foreign crises. By December 1950, with Chinese forces entering the fight and the conflict escalating dramatically, Truman issued Proclamation 2914 declaring a national emergency, further expanding the executive branch’s wartime footing without ever going to Congress for a war declaration.”2
The point of the devotional is not to argue and debate the constitutionality of these decisions. It is not to take the sides of any political party since it is obvious that both Democrats and Republicans alike have taken these actions. My point is very simple.
Making a decision that a president deems best for the nation is a decision that may not work out best for the individual soldier. Just consider some of our American casualty statistics:
364,511 – Civil War
116,516 – WWI
405,399 – WWII
36,574 – Korea
58,220 – Vietnam
383 – Gulf war
50 – War on Terror
93 – Anti-ISIS
13 – Operation Fury
Since the Civil War, 1,049,454 have died with another 1,506,323 wounded. Many of the wounded never recovered from their injuries.3
Now, think about this. One president – one man who holds the title Commander-in-Chief has ordered these individuals into the places where their lives were taken. There will be those who will argue that this is a good reason to never put our people in harm’s way. However, that doesn’t cure evil, and without being held responsible, evil will run rampant. Therefore, troops must be sent, and the president bears the heavy weight of that responsibility.
The office of President of the United States looks like a popularity contest during the election cycle. Maybe to some degree it is. The weight of the office, though, must settle in immediately. I cannot imagine the pressure of that weight!
It’s easy to sit back and armchair referee a president’s decisions. But none of us have ever been in that position and if we think we are getting the full and correct story from the media, we should probably just go back to bed and not expose the world to our depth of ignorance. (sarcasm intended!)
This isn’t a political devotion. Your political party affiliation has nothing to do with what’s been written. Presidents of both parties have been in the exact same position. As Christians, we have not been called to criticize and critique. We have a much higher calling. Let’s get busy fulfilling that role ascribed to us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (2) For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
1https://robertcliftonrobinson.com/2025/06/22/the-history-of-presidential-orders-for-military-strikes-without-congressional-approval/
2https://legalclarity.org/did-congress-formally-declare-war-on-korea/
3https://www.warcosts.org/us-military-deaths-by-war
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