Election thoughts

Here is an excerpt from some of Jon's thoughts on the election. Thought you might like to hear what my wise husband has to say. : )

First of all, don’t listen to the fear-based rhetoric coming out of certain branches of Christianity- namely the extreme Dispensationalists. They’ve nearly always been wrong at interpreting present events. This is not the first time in human history that a political or national leader has awakened fear in the hearts of believers. And Obama is certainly not the worst the world has ever seen….. (Caesar, medieval popes and emperors, kings and queens, brutal dictators, etc…) We may not know a lot about Obama, but he does claim to be a Christian- even if a misguided one- and needs our voice and our prayers.

Secondly, this election gives conservatives the “opportunity” of being the outsiders, the ones out of power, and thus the disenfranchised. This is often a good thing because it gives us the chance to re-evaluate our primary loyalties, objectives, and purpose. We can re-gain our integrity and re-focus on Christ and his kingdom. Many believers have put way too much hope/stock in this election and are reacting by retreating into caves of fear and unbelief. We cannot forget who is in control of this world or what ultimate purposes he is bringing about. The Bible tells us over 300 times not to fear. We must be faithful and obedient and continue to live our lives under the Lordship of Jesus- loving God and neighbor with all our hearts. I’m actually quite hopeful about the effect this election could have on sleeping, comfortable, nominal, American Christianity! God will use it for our good! Romans 8:28.

Also, we must pray with all our strength. There are very real issues at stake here and we must “stand in the gap” so to speak for righteousness and justice and peace. I pray with all my heart that Obama will not sign the so-called “freedom of choice” act, and that the gay agenda will be exposed as empty and sinful, and that a consistent ethic of life will be applied by all people, and that God will use Obama as an instrument of his will- whether Obama knows it or not (among many other things). But if we retreat in fear or over-react in unbelief then we won’t be able to be Christ’s voice, hands, and feet to the world around us.

If the cross and resurrection of Jesus are true, and if the Holy Spirit has really been poured out on believers, then there is always hope in the present world that God’s will can be done and that his kingdom can come “on earth as in heaven.” We need to recover this prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples to pray… and never lose hope. As Christians, if we are not a people of FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE, then we have lost ourselves, have turned away from Christ, and the world truly is without light. But as long as Jesus is on the throne ruling over this world and the nations, working his sovereign will in the earth, we can never lose hope, or our faith, or stop loving- our neighbors, our friends, even our enemies.

Matthew 5 calls us the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. Salt is for preservation and light is for seeing in the dark. This means that the world has both decay and darkness in it. Jesus knew that. That’s why he called us and enabled us to be his salt and light for the world. If Christians retreat in fear now, or stop believing the promises of God, or embrace a silly sensationalized eschatology (view of the “end times”), we’ll ultimately be abandoning our Lord’s commands and not participating in God’s mission to the world. God is not worried about an Obama presidency, and neither should we be. We should pray and act with faith, hope, and love, engaging the world where it’s in need or pain and be God’s instruments of grace, redemption, and renewal where we are.

The Protestant Reformers of the 16^th century coined the Latin phrase- post tenebras lux. It means, “after darkness, light.” They were rejoicing in the recovery of the gospel after centuries of moral and spiritual darkness. Their statement reflects the biblical promise that Light wins in the end. The end is Day, not night. Christians cannot live as though darkness wins- even if it feels dark now. No, according to God’s promise, after darkness there is light. After death there is resurrection. That light is dawning, and has dawned in our hearts. It will continue to do so until Christ returns. And when he returns, will he find us faithfully, and hopefully, serving him with gladness? Or like the servant who fearfully buried his “talents”, will we be buried under caves of fear?

What will the world think of us if we abandon our hope in Christ because an election did not go our way? What credibility does Jesus have before the world if his followers cower in fear when things are bad? Things have always been bad. Some of us just needed a wake-up call to that fact. Jesus has always been in control and bringing redemption in the midst (or in spite of) the world’s brokenness. I believe he will do the same now and forever.

Let’s press on together and pray and live out the gospel, finding our security in God, and our identity in his kingdom, and our purpose in His redemptive mission.

For me personally, I have mixed feelings of hope and fear after this election. I understand what many are feeling. But I also know that this is nothing new. As we remember the word of God and take the long view of history, we always have much to be thankful for and a lot to be hopeful about. God wins the ultimate battle and we share in that victory. The Resurrection of Jesus proves that new creation/heaven is possible even in the present world. The power of the Spirit has proven to be God’s agent of change, comfort, perseverance, and faithfulness for Christians of all generations. I believe He will prove just as faithful to our own generation.