WordJourney

The election is over and the results are in – Barack Obama has been chosen to be America’s 44^th president.

21 months after announcing his candidacy, President-elect Obama has earned the right to take over the most powerful office in our country, indeed in the entire world. His winning the presidency is truly historic, the first person of African ancestry who will hold that position.

I’m not so much stunned by the unfolding of events, as I am disappointed with the results. Barack Obama ran an amazingly disciplined campaign, but his candidacy raised several questions that the media, indeed the general populace, chose to ignore.

These questions involved his past associations with some of the most stridently leftist people in our country, a politician with a track record of having a wanton disregard for unborn life, and someone who received vast funding from foreign sources which may have helped tip the election in his favor.

True, John McCain’s election bid had always been run in the shadow of the Bush presidency, a conflictingly divisive eight years of leadership where we saw our president heroically respond to terrorist attacks, launch wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but also spend money like few liberals had done before him.

For the Christian, waking up this morning to a shifting political landscape can truly be disheartening. Have our prayers not been heard? Is our nation accelerating down the path of moral degradation? What does the future hold for us?

I cannot answer these and related questions, but I can continue to trust that Almighty God is most certainly aware of what is going on in our world and that He is in full control no matter who is in office. To that end, I will share with you three verses which are sustaining me now, scripture verses that underscore the authority of God and how we should respond during these times:

Isaiah 40:15 — Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. During those times that I lose my perspective, I try to recall those verses which remind me of how God views things. Truly, our Maker loves the nations, but as far as their overall importance, they are of comparable insignificance to Him. Nations come and go, but our God shall reign forever. I certainly am an American, but my permanent citizenship is in heaven. Jesus is my Sovereign – he wasn’t elected by man.

Proverbs 21:1 — The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will. We need to pray for our leaders, starting today for President-elect Obama. Judging by what Obama has said over the past several months, I can tell you that he takes scripture out of context and has an agenda that runs contrary to godly principles. But, God is sovereign and can change his heart, so let’s intercede on his behalf. Millions of Americans need a change of heart too – spiritually, that is.

2 Corinthians 10:4 — For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; How should we fight? In just one way – we pray. We do not war against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. Obama isn’t directly our enemy even if his intentions toward us may be less than honorable. For Christians, responding in love is the only way to handle any situation, but we need to ask God to flood our hearts with His redeeming love so that we might win souls to Him.

I’m not going to tell you how to deal with disappointment other than to lovingly remind you that God is in control. Do not allow anyone steal your joy and most definitely do not give up. Our battle all along was really never against people, rather against those unseen forces which continually seek to keep people from the loving embrace of Jesus Christ.  In that battle remain engaged IF we do not give up!

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105 is one of my favorite scriptures. When I read the verse, I can’t help but think of walking along a dark path and being unable to see in front of me. With no light available, we’re soon to stumble over rocks, tree roots and other obstacles not visible to the human eye. Worse, we could fall into a pit or be consumed by a wild animal.

God’s word penetrates the darkness and gives us just enough light to see a foot or two in front of us. Enough light so that we will not stumble, but not much more.

God wants us to depend on Him for our immediate needs, the provision for that day. Our faith is built up as we take in each day’s scripture verses, trusting that His light will continue to shine the next day and the day after.

I admit that I don’t always dig into the Bible on a daily basis. I get busy, I substitute my writings for reading, or have some other excuse at the ready. However, when I do spend some time reading and contemplating God’s word, I find that I can apply it to a circumstance in my life or recall the scripture when needed later on.

Although I encourage people to read God’s word, I caution those who do so without seeking God’s guidance or with a wrong motive. Anyone can turn on the lamp, but it is God who shines forth His word to ward off darkness for those seeking the Light of the World.