I write these words before the election that you will be reading after the election. I hope the outcome has been clearly decided by the time you see this article. Either way, I’m sure there is a part of us that is just glad that it is over. Cut-throat campaigning wears out souls. I look forward to TV ads for overpriced Christmas gifts.
Many people believe that our nation is at a crossroads. The outcome of this election, especially if the president and the congress are all of the same party, will shape the direction of our country, for better or for worse.
I agree that it is good that we voted and tried to do our part to get the right people in the right places, but now we need to relax. First, remember that no person or party can wreck the plans of the sovereign God. Jesus is King! Whatever happened in our little election won’t derail his eternal plan. Let’s elevate our vantage point all the way to eternity. How eternally significant is what is happening in our country, no matter who is in charge for the next four years?
Second, remember all of the presidents and congresses that you have seen come and go. If you are just voting in your first election, trust me on this one. If you are a diehard Democrat, you made it through Regan, two Bushes, and Trump. You are still hear. You still had breakfast this morning, I trust. Your favorite stores are mostly still open. You can still do your hobbies and have fun with your friends.
If you are a hardcore Republican, you have made it through Carter, Clinton, and Obama. Do you still have your job? Is your church still open (I’m not talking about the Coronavirus!)? Can you still cheer for your favorite sports teams? Can you still have dinner with your friends?
I’m asking these rhetorical questions to remind you that even though our country has drifted left and right, we are all pretty much still here. Yes, sometimes our taxes rise and fall. Sometimes the regulations are tightened and loosened. Sometimes, we make different friends and enemies around the world. But mostly, we are still the United States of America, and we are still here doing our stuff.
I do not mean to imply that some of the policies aren’t better or worse, and even right and wrong. I absolutely do think our nation will flourish the more we honor God and his good ways. But, how many times have you assumed wrongly that if so-and-so gets in power everything will be wonderful or awful? But it rarely works out to the extreme you hoped or feared.
Our church leaders have worked very hard in preparation for this election to elevate the confidence of our congregation to God and his sovereign plans. God was on his throne November 2, 3, and 4. He didn’t panic or rejoice about our little election. Not even a little bit! His mighty plans continue to roll on.
A Christian’s biblical duties towards rulers will continue to be the same. We are to pray for our leaders. We are to pay our taxes. And we are to respect our leaders as having been ultimately appointed by God. I get these responsibilities from Mark 12:17; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-6; 1 Peter 2:13-17. Let me encourage you to review those Scriptures and refresh your commitment toward those in authority as we pray for our leaders.
It is such strong encouragement to me that God is at work in and through this political situation. He is often working in ways we can’t even see or appreciate at the moment. In fact, God might be doing 10,000 things all at once because of the results of this election. Some of those activities could include setting up global situations for 10 or 20 years from now.
Let me remind you of one great story from the Bible where God was mightily working behind the scenes. “Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death” (2 Kings 11:1-2).
These were dark days in the southern kingdom of Judah. Athaliah was royalty from the idolatrous northern kingdom of Israel who was married off to King Ahaziah in the south. When Ahaziah died, Athaliah took over, killing all of her grandchildren, who might try take her throne as rivals (seriously!).
One of the heroes of this story is Jehosheba, who rescued one of the king’s son, Joash. For six years baby Joash was being raised by the godly high priest in the temple. Now, you have to appreciate the remarkable proximity of these things. Evil Queen is reigning from her royal house which was less than one mile away from the temple in Jerusalem.
Put yourself in the concerned Israelite’s sandals for a minute. God’s very people are being ruled over by a pagan, evil queen. She killed her grandchildren and seemed to get away with it. There are no new elections coming up in four years. Israel seemed absolutely stuck in an abhorrent situation, with no earthly hope at all.
Meanwhile, God saved the king. Not only that, he was being raised not in his pagan, evil grandmother’s house, but by the high priest of God himself. And it was all happening less than a mile away from the queen!
Seven years later, the high priest pulled out the king and had the pagan, evil queen executed. King Joash reigned well over God’s people for many years.
Never doubt that God is at work. God has a great plan and he is always working it; even if it is invisible at the moment. But, not everything in that plan will be great. God allows for human sins to accomplish his ultimate goodness. Never get too happy or too sad by what you see and experience. Always be satisfied in God.
By the way, if you know the big picture of the Bible, you know that God promised that Messiah would come through the royal line of King David. When Jehosheba saved Joash, he was the last baby alive in the line of David. If Joash had died, we would have never made it to Jesus Christ. You could say Jehosheba was the girl who literally saved Christmas!
By John Crotts
