Some of you can identify with my daughter’s disappointment. You woke up this morning (or stayed up late last night) to find that the person for whom you voted yesterday lost the presidential election. Until this point I have chosen not to blog about politics, but today I just wanted to weigh in on the unending banter between the candidates over the last several months and the final results of this 2008 election. I love the United States and when I voted yesterday I was reminded why. At 6:30am the lines were long and I saw all kinds of people waiting alongside me…a doctor, soldier, school teacher (in front of me), moms with newborns, old and young, black and white, handicapped and healthy, democrat and republican. All of these diverse groups of people were exercising their freedom to vote in hopes that their candidate would bring the “change” our country needs. To me, having a say in who is elected is a huge privilege that I do not take for granted.
Although I voted for the person whom I believe closely represented issues which were important to me, my faith is not in the government, whether republican or democrat. Maybe you think that is a “spiritual” cop out. Maybe it is, but for me “change” does not depend on an elected official. My life did not “change” overnight because of the next president. I hope you did not go to work in a bad mood because of the election results. I hope you are not declaring that the world is coming to an end. I hope you are not making a fool out of yourself by arguing with someone about your strong opinions on the election. Circumstances should not cause our faith to waver. I have confidence that God sees the whole picture. He knows the beginning from the end. This election did not catch Him off guard. The country has spoken – Barack Obama is the next president and Christians should pray for His wisdom as he leads the United States of America.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1).
