As you know, our nation re-elected a president since our last publication date. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to remember a more divisive election year since I have been voting. The issues and candidates at hand were polarizing, to say the least, and it was rare to find anyone who was undecided or “in the middle.” Now all votes have been tallied and the results are in. Although some people may think that a mistake has been made, there are an equal number of people who think that the day has been saved and that our country is headed in the right direction.
I have to admit that I was both shocked and saddened to see how poorly many people in the Christian community handled themselves in the days and weeks surrounding November 6. In the time leading up to the election, I saw and heard so much criticism and anger put on public display in the name of politics and being “right”, as well as many people looking to a political candidate to be the savior of our nation. Then, on November 7, things turned from bad to worse as so many Christians went around boldly proclaiming how our nation was now doomed to destruction and damnation by God because their guy (and in their opinion, “God’s guy”) didn’t win.
Just the other day, I stumbled across Daniel 4:32, which says, “…the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes” (NIV). Of all the verses I had seen people attaching to politics this year; this one hit me hard. Basically what that verse means is that God rules the world and the leaders who he has allowed to govern his land. He allows who he wants to be president, king or leader. Think about it. Do you believe this to be true, or have you gotten yourself all wrapped up in politics and what may or may not happen? In doing so, we deny the sovereignty of God as if, all of the sudden, God is not the creator of all things and in control of all things. The minute I begin to think that God is surprised or shocked by anything – an election, a natural disaster, an act of horrifying evil like 9/11, or even one of my own sins – I have begun to reduce God to something infinitely less than he really is. Do you remember when Moses saw God in the burning bush and asked who he was? God replied with probably the most powerful three letters ever spoken on this earth: “I AM.” If you question for one second that God is sovereign during and after election time, then ask yourself why you invest your time in something that you don’t fully believe is true.
According to the Bible, if you are unhappy with your president, your governor, your boss, or the cop that pulled you over for speeding last night, you are ultimately unhappy with God‘s sovereignty. In Romans chapter 13, we read that he who resists authority resists God himself. I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in resisting God.
I encourage you to remember this one simple truth: God is sovereign, we are not. He is in complete control and, as the Bible tells us, is the same yesterday, today and forever. Maybe you, like me, need to repent for placing your hope and trust in things other than him, both in this election year and in every moment of our lives. Only when our hope is firmly placed in our God, who never changes, are we freed from our pointless attempts to control our country, others, and even ourselves, and freed to love God and serve others with reckless abandonment.
I leave you with Isaiah 49:23 which says, “Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (NIV).
A native of sunny South Florida, Nicole Oliva joined forces with the Good News over four and half years ago and has served as Editor-in-Chief for the past year and a half. She has a heart for reaching out to the next generation and is passionate about topics such as human trafficking and teen issues. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing tennis and hanging with friends and family. To contact Nicole, please email her at: nicoleo@goodnewsfl.org or follow her on Twitter @nicolejoyoliva.