A little wisdom goes a long way

It is election year here in the United States and the campaign 'flinging' has already begun. The field of candidates has begun to shrink before our eyes as one after another throw in the towel and call it quits. As with any other election year, there will be a lot of 'story-telling' about how this candidate will out-perform the other, until we are all down to the wire and must choose one over the other. In the end, we can pray God will intervene and place the best candidate before us, but sometimes the 'people' demand what is not always the 'best' for them. It was Joe Biden who reminded us, "Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people." If you recall a time in the history of the nation of Israel, there was this great outcry to have a king - just like the other nations around them. They wanted a 'royal' upon the throne - a man to govern their kingdom. They thought they wanted Saul, but in the end, they really needed David!

“Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (I Samuel 8:6-9)

I am not one to spout political opinion, but I am one to speak forth truth when we need to hear it the most. The cry of God's people may get a little confused at times, only because the heart of his people isn't always submitted to his leadership in their lives as it should be! There is a tendency we all can have that causes us to trust people at 'face value' rather than look at the evidence of their character. It might just be easier to trust than to verify, so we sometimes bypass the verification process because we don't want to expend the energies, or perhaps know the truth. I shall not endorse one candidate over another, or 'bad mouth' one or the other. I shall remind each of us of the importance of being very intentional in discovering truth in a very tough election year, though! Let us not forget the dangers of just asking for a 'ruler' to preside in office, but rather consider the 'character' of each 'ruler' that will be given the privilege of presiding! 

Yes, it is a privilege to take up that position of authority in this country - whether it be a seat in a local government post, or the head of our great country. The authority one is given is sacred, but we can never forget that God is the ultimate one in authority. While it is true that we have been given a field of candidates who will 'pitch' their ideas before us, we must always consider each candidate in light of where they stand on the moral and ethical issues as defined in scripture. Do they hold life sacred? Do they build up others, or tear down their character? Do they distort truth, or hold fast despite the urge to cave under pressure? Do they put God first, or does their own ego seem to get in their way? These are only a few of the questions we must ponder as we consider each position or post one will assume. We must let scripture act as our guide and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as our filter.

That said, it is not too early for any of us to begin to pray for God's protection of our country in this election year. May he bring forth the 'best' candidates all over this nation. May he gives us light where there has been darkness. May he help us to verify the message and examine the evidence of each candidate's performance. Then, in the end, may he help us not to 'settle' for the lesser of two evils, but may he raise up only those that clearly don't further any form of evil in our nation! Just askin!