An unprecedented number of casualties – perhaps numbering in the tens of millions- have occurred in this latest vicious cycle of upcoming elections, as staunch supporters from both parties dig in their heels, refusing to budge on matters that both sides deem urgent. Friendships have died, family ties severed, relationships tossed over disagreement on who is best equipped to lead our great nation. Strangers bicker with one another on social media platforms that are anything but social, sparing no harsh words, no tempering of tempers, and no cautionary tape around their proclamation to possess the only enlightened views. Rage is the most used tool in the collective box of verbal weapons, and unrelenting hatred for what is seen as a stubborn refusal to “see it my way.”
Some have said that this is the working of “true democracy in motion”, the giving and taking of ideas to arrive at the best ways to govern. But if that is so, it seems something crucial in the machinery has become severely broken. In the “exchange” of ideas there’s been all giving and no taking. How can there be anything left to salvage after such brutal destruction? Who will willingly submit to the authorities that be, at the end of such hostile warring?
Oh, that God might soften our hearts to remember our first allegiance!
There seems to be much at stake in our nation- and I believe that it is time for conservative views to have their chance to show their effectiveness, just as we’ve endured 8 years of liberal philosophy reigning- but know this- even if a red tsunami were to engulf the entire nation, there still will be troubles and trials, corruption and failure, because ultimately our hope is not found in any human governance, but in Jesus Christ alone.
Do I believe that God ordains those in authority over us? Yes I do. I believe that in His grace and in his perfect sovereignty He involves Himself in the affairs of men. He has to, because He knows that human hearts are so desperately wicked that apart from His staying hand there would be no one left except a tyrant and all those subject to him. We have this amazing form of government that has provided freedom, liberty, justice and abundance; but as with any human endeavor, it is vulnerable to its greatest flaw: that of human involvement.
Sin is at the center of all conflict. Sin, and all it’s devastating consequences are what drove Satan from God’s presence, Adam and Eve from the garden, and Jesus from Heaven, as He came to Earth to pay the price for what we could not pay for ourselves.
For reasons all His own, God loves people. Made in His own image, created from His infinite imagination and selfless love, we are His workmanship. He puts inherent value on Life, and He gave us a playbook, an instruction manual for how we can live in our sin cursed world, and still please Him. And it doesn’t include assaulting other humans, verbally, physically or emotionally to get our way, no matter how “right” we may be.
So how can we engage in the political minefield, knowing the potential damage to others that can ensue? With the utmost care. Our most underutilized weapon is our most powerful: PRAYER.
God in His grace grants us wisdom to navigate this world in a way that honors Him, while showing a dark and dying world the only hope anyone has for eternal salvation found solely in Jesus Christ.
Politics do not deliver us from the fallout of human depravity – only Jesus does. And Politics do not offer an ultimate remedy for sin – only Jesus does. So for followers of Jesus, involving ourselves too deeply in politics overemphasizes a misplaced hope to a dark and dying world.
It’s such a slippery slope! To my own dismay, I found myself getting sucked in to the temptation to expose the failures of what I truly do see as the “Lawless Left”- and I had to repent and turn away from my over-involvement in political battles that were starting to blur the lines of my faith in Christ with a faith in a political system, which was such spiritual treason on my part! Thank You, Lord, for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit who loves, corrects and directs our hearts!
And although it isn’t wrong to identify Truth, if it becomes my “god” and overtakes my first allegiance to sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus, then it has replaced God and His calling on my life, and that is no less evil than the “evils of politics” which I may spend precious time denouncing.
“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We only get so much time in this world. For many, it is used up in folly and pleasure, wasted in wrong pursuits or meaningless drivel, or succumbing to the never ending “urgent clamoring” of various injustices demanding our most limited resource of Time.
As followers of Jesus we have the joy of knowing that our time here on Earth can be spent in ways that yield incalculable investments for eternity – the key is identifying those investments and then not getting distracted by the temporary pulls of this world, that even if “won” are still limited in their capacity to deliver any lasting change.
So, Yes, by all means Vote. We have the privilege of such an amazing form of government- all the world marvels at its unique structure of “By the people, of the people, for the people” and it is a gift from God.
But let’s not lose sight of our greatest hope and calling – to spread the Good News that Jesus came to Earth to take our rightful place to pay the price for All our sin. Therefore, our main message must be that any who put their trust in Jesus and His finished work at the cross can have the certainty of eternal salvation, and to escape death and destruction. Only by clinging to Christ can we find freedom from the futility of any pursuit that distracts us from our singular mission of glorifying Him, and sharing the saving Truth of the Gospel with others, while keeping our eyes on the ultimate prize of Heaven, as we conduct ourselves as Ambassadors for Christ for whatever time He gives us. 🙏🏻🌿
