My plan for last week was to write a catchy, pointed, political post with today’s election in mind. For some reason that post never came together. I was going to make points about how if the church were doing its job, there would be no need to even have a debate about nationalized healthcare. I was also going to point out man’s true need is to rely on God instead of its political leaders. I still believe that, and would be happy to discuss the issue, but for some reason my heart has shifted a different direction this morning as I write without having planned ahead.
God is in control.
Again.
God is in control.
It does not matter what arguments I could give to defend a political party or a style of government. Whatever He wants is exactly what He will get. The part I struggle with remembering is that is also the best thing for me. What may look bad to me is both good and right if that is God’s desire.
I am reminded of that way the Israelites cried out to God for the kind of king they thought they needed (sounds familiar). God gave them that king and he led them into sin. Even though there would be good kings, Israel always seemed to find a way to lose sight of God and fall out of his will. God put Israel into some very “bad” situations all to bring them back to their knees.
One of the single worst events in the history of the church was when Constantine made Christianity the mandated religion of the Roman Empire. Until then the church had been persecuted, and yet was still growing at an alarming rate. Tertullian even said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” God used difficult times to show his power and reveal Himself as the only solution to the problem.
It pains me to say, because I love a good political debate, but if it takes socialism in America to grow the church, that’s exactly what we need. If God knows what will “light a fire under our butts” He needs to do it. Our faith is not in who governs us, but rather who is sovereign over us. He picks and chooses our leaders. We do not need to know His reasons. We need to trust Him and grow closer to Him.
As a side note, I have changed the comment section to allow anyone to post without needing to log in. Let’s talk!
You are talking as if socialism is such a terrible thing. Why?
ReplyDeleteYou are right--our trust is in God alone, but we do have some responsibilities. First of all, prayer for those in the government, but close behind it is voting for those who are mostlikely to uphold the cause of righteousness as they serve us in various political offices.
ReplyDeleteCindy, I totally agree with you. I just want us to make sure that our hope is in God, who places these leaders in power. That is ultimately why I don't like the concept of socialism (to the comment before). It is a system of government that trains the people to rely on elected men to take care of their needs without offering any effort of their own (and reliance on God). It has no respect for the wonder of human life that God has given us. And, fiscally speaking, I see no defense for it in Scripture. Do you?
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