Here in the USA, we have just come through a Presidential election. One of the privileges of a free people is the privilege to choose our leaders. Even among believers in our Lord Jesus, there are differences of opinion on what role the government should play in our lives and which man or men are best qualified to move the nation in that direction. Some believers voted for Senator McCain, and some for Senator Obama. But of this we can be certain, our God “voted” for Senator Obama, and barring any unforeseeable events, Obama will become President of the United States on January 20, 2009.
For nearly all of my adult life I have assigned a considerable amount of importance to politics: it mattered greatly to me who was in the various offices of power in our nation’s government. But the years have taken the edge off of my interest. Part of this loss of interest has come from a measure of cynicism regarding the men who seek high office in our land. Most, it appears, have self-interest at heart; and their opinions and votes change with the shifting winds of public opinion. Even those who claim to espouse many of the same values I do seem reluctant to pursue them.
But more than this, my interest in politics has waned as I have become more and more convinced that "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD: as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will." (Proverbs 21:1) Whether the occupant of the White House has a D or an R after his name is not the ultimate determiner of what he shall do. I am certain that Senator Obama has an agenda he hopes to enact while he is in office. But it is not his agenda, but God’s that shall come to pass. This does not mean that things shall go pleasantly for the USA in the future, only that what God has ordained shall come to pass. It may be prosperity, it may be disaster; it may be peace, it may be war; it may be justice, it may be tyranny. But whatever it is, it shall be the will of the Lord.
And what can we say of that? As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we may say, “Whatever happens, whether pleasant or unpleasant, it is good.” Moreover, we can come to the realization that, no matter what man is in office, or what he does, our conduct toward him is to be the same. We are to pray for him, and for all others in authority, that they will rule in such a way that we can live our lives quietly and peaceably in all godliness and honesty. Let the world clamor over the opportunity to be rich; let the redeemed of the Lord seek the higher things of godliness and honesty.
So let us pray for all who have been elected to the various offices of our government, even if we think they are scoundrels, for they are – just like us. And they, like us, need the help and grace of the God who saves all kinds of scoundrels.
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