This morning I woke up to the news, “Change has come to America.”
John McCain gave a gracious concession speech (here). The election is over and Democrats have won a whooping majority. So what does it all mean? Is it a new day? Barack Obama offers hope, but hope in what, him?
I am not prophet. I cannot gaze into a crystal ball and predict what is to be. All I can do is look back into the past and extrapolate what our forebears experienced into the future. When I do that, I see hard and grim times to come.
In an earlier post, I posed a question, Does Disaster Loom Before Us? I fear that disaster await us. Although I hope time will prove me wrong, I am afraid we have elected rulers who take pride in their power, rulers who will spend our freedom and our blood with disdain.
So what can we do? Now is always the time for proper humility. The Bible calls on us to submit to our rulers, to render appropriate honor and respect to their authority.
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
Whether they know it or not, our rulers serve God’s purpose. And in that belief, Conservatives and Christians can take consolidation and find hope.
The Supremacy of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
The Bible makes it clear we are not to put the authority of our rulers above that of God. Yet no matter who our nation elects to rule, we must accept the winner’s rightful authority and accord the winners proper respect.
The Bible also makes it clear that no matter who rules, we must stand for good, not evil. Just because our rulers demand that we do wrong, we cannot excuse any wrong we do. As Christians, we first serve Christ Jesus and not any mere idolized man.
The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
We can and should congratulate our new rulers. Whether we were wise to elect him or not, Barack Obama and the Democrats have earned their victory. We can and should pray for them and hope they rule wisely. We should do so because our real hope is in obedience to the Lord. For our salvation, we must put on His armor. And if times do become hard and grim, we will have hope. We will remember that each day is a new day, a day that brings renewed hope in the Lord. For “this too shall pass.”
I think no matter who got into office, we would still be facing hard times. We’ve got war and a recession to contend with, and no one leader can clean that up, especially in four years.
While I didn’t vote for McCain, I do fear the new administration making rapid and radical changes. NOT a good idea. I also am a little nervous that there has been a pendulum swing from almost all Republicans to all Democrats. I was hoping for something in between, which also causes issues like stalemates, but at least it wouldn’t be such a drastic change.
If nothing else, we are living through a great period of history and it will be interesting to see what happens. Trust in your higher power and hope for the best.
One more thing–I don’t call our government our “rulers.” I don’t believe in rulers unless they are being used to measure.