Now that the mid-term elections are over, the good news is that we are now spared the endless, caustic campaign attack ads that assaulted our minds and hearts. What a relief that we can now return instead to seeing the pharmaceutical advertisements which warn us of possible massive organ failure if we choose to take their medication for our ailment. Who wouldn’t want clear skin even if it meant kidney failure. But I digress. Back to the subject of the almost concluded mid-term elections.
Admittedly, it was a little disheartening to view the results of these mid-term elections. It was disturbing to see some people elected who really have no business receiving the authority of leadership; people who are clearly incompetent or who have no discernable moral backbone. And what was wrong with the electorate? How could the overwhelming majority say that the nation is going in the wrong direction and then put people in office who will continue with the same basic agenda? That seems to make no sense at all. On top of this, these elections gave us more states where recreational marijuana is legal; more gays in office; some higher taxes; the defeat of good legislation; and a number of other less than positive matters. Not a good result.
Unfortunately, these outcomes did not materialize out of nothing. They are evidence that the moral and spiritual decline of America is ongoing. What the Apostle Paul spoke of in Romans 1:18-32 is being lived out here in our culture. There the Apostle revealed that to abandon God and His righteous standards will always bring about rampant idolatry and a deep moral decline. Even a casual look at our American culture reveals the validity of Paul’s declaration. Another key factor for these results is what Carl Trueman pointed out in his timely book, “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.” There he chronicled the journey that our culture has taken, arriving at that place where the inner self of the individual is sovereign. One’s personal truth and one’s personal rights triumph over all else. Whatever standards may have been true in the past, these are simply no longer relevant to a rapidly growing number of Americans. I believe that this growing cultural philosophy carried the day. Specifically, it was the “abortion rights” issue that likely fueled much of the election outcome. The attack ads emphasized that certain individuals would deny women their “abortion rights” and the reaction was predictable. No one is going to take away “my rights.” And, unless some dramatic change comes, these factors will most likely impact future elections as well.
So how should those of us who want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ respond and deal with all this? And while I firmly believe that we must support those who align themselves to some degree or another with God’s standards and God’s laws, there is something even greater that my mind needs to focus on. And this is on truths about the Lord God Himself. It is helpful to rehearse in our minds several important theological truths; truths that we likely know but may need reviewing.
THINK ABOUT GOD’S OMNISICIENCE. God knows everything actual and possible. God does not learn anything and so He did not pick up some new information from this last election. Furthermore, He knows what would have happened if “Candidate B” had won instead of “Candidate A.” He was not surprised by the election results. He knows all about the abundant deceit and hypocrisy of men, and is not fooled by the times they claim Him to be a supporter of their ways. This One who has named and numbered the stars in the billions of galaxies (Psa. 147:4); who knows everything there is to know about this creation of His (Job 38-41); and who even knows how many hairs are on our heads (Matt. 10:30) knows full well what is going on in America and in our lives. Psalm 139:2-3 states: “Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, and art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word in my mouth, behold O Lord, thou dost know it all.” We might have been surprised by what took place in the mid-terms, but He was not.
THINK ABOUT GOD’S WISDOM. God’s wisdom always produces that which is good and peaceable (See James 3:17). God not only knows all things, but His knowledge does produce what is best. The world, according to the Apostle John, presently lies in the power of the Evil One (1 John 5:19). But that will change, since this world is going to pass away (1 John 2:17). It is not God’s will for the present system to go on and on. Guided by His wisdom, the Creator God will bring His people to that condition which He originally had in mind in the Garden of Eden. In talking with one of my sons recently, I was reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
THINK ABOUT GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY. To thwart evil and to bring about His purposes in this world, God must be sovereign; meaning He is the supreme power in the universe. Sovereignty requires that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. While we often feel helpless before the power and authority of governments or people, God is not. Ultimate power does not reside in Washington D.C. or in the state capital. We must remember that there is no man, nation or demon, or combination of them that can thwart the Almighty God for even a second of time. It is no wonder that Psalm 2:4 reveals that “God laughs” at the foolish rebellion of leaders and their people, who think that they can remove Him from their lives. God’s prophet Isaiah adds these powerful thoughts:
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales…He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:15, 23–25)
My Creator/Savior is not at all intimidated by these earthly rulers. He is the Sovereign one. This I must remember. And furthermore, we should never forget Daniel’s clear declaration that: “For wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings.” (Dan. 2:21). Yes, the Lord God did show up at the mid-term elections.
THINK ABOUT CHRIST’S AUTHORITY. Psalm 2:6 also reveals that Jesus has already been established by the Father as ruler of the earth. It is a done deal. It awaits future implementation, but it is a fact that is set in concrete. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 28:18: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Earlier in His great prayer, Jesus has said that the Father had given Him “authority over all mankind” (John 17:2). And before that, Jesus had declared to His detractors in John 5:22: “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.” As I ran these truths through my mind (truths that are so very familiar), those “election blues” evaporated away. Mid-term election results are not how matters are going to end. Like Asaph of old (in Psalm 73:16-17), the circumstances of life can bring discouragement to us; that is, until God’s perspective is once again focused on.
THINK ABOUT CHRIST’S FUTURE PLANS. One of the greatest values of biblical prophecy is that it can change our thinking and attitudes in the present. When we remember that God is all-knowing, all-powerful and so very good, we know that His good plans will, without a doubt, come to pass. Eternity is a long time and it is guaranteed by our Creator, Savior God to be wonderful. While some details are hard to imagine, we do know that as His children, He has nothing but the best in store for us. He has promised that we will experience great peace, overwhelming joy and a freedom that only people liberated from sin can enjoy. It really is true that our best days are ahead of us. In John 14:1-3, the Savior promised that He would come back and take us to be with Himself, and this He will do.
These are the kinds of truths that should occupy our minds. If need be, do these “theological exercises” daily. Compile a list of those verses that speak about the marvelous attributes of our God and Savior. Rehearse them. Memorize them. They fuel our thinking and, therefore, our living. Yes, God did show up for the mid-term elections, and all is going according to His plans.