Who do you trust?
“Communal idolatry is one of the most fundamental ways the Bible speaks of human rebellion and sin. Our failure to recognize this has had a crippling effect on the mission of the church in a world rife with idolatry.” - Michael W. Goheen
With the Mid-Term Elections having been this past week there is no doubt that some in our nation are excited and some are upset with the outcome. That is naturally how things have been for quite some time in our country. As political views are continually weaponized and used to argue and fight with “the other side”, I think that it is important that we as Christian take some time to reflect on where we put are trust. This note has nothing to do with how you vote in anyway, I pray that every person vote in accordance with whoever you believe is best exemplifies Christian values no matter the color of their tie. I challenge you to consider where your trust is, I pray that your trust be solely in the Lord.
Again, I think we can all agree that there are some in our country who put their trust completely in their candidates. There are slogans like “Make America Great Again” or “Build Back Better” or some other variations of these slogan that become the political chant of their candidates’ supporters. I heard people, on both sides of the debate that claim that if the other side win it will mean the end of our country, the end of freedom, and for some the end of the world. However, if our trust is in anything other than the Lord then we have a bigger problem than who wins the election, if anything stands in the way of our complete and total trust in the Lord then it becomes an Idol.
When we trust in our political beliefs, then we are no better than those who in biblical times carved statues and erected them to worship as if the very thing that they created would save them or protect them. No doubt the political power that exist may have some sway in our day-to-day life, but they have no sway on eternity, for we know that Christ, who I seated in heaven, has already fought the battle, and won. In Christopher Wright’s book Here Are Your Gods he says the following.
“In our own jealous protectiveness of the gods we create for ourselves, we parody the true jealousy that is prerogative of the only true God whom we did not create… Yet, of course, topple they must before the living God. For that is the destiny of all human effort that is not for the glory of God or offered to be redeemed by Him.”- Christopher J.H. Wright
As Christians our trust should not fall into the hands of a political candidate or party, our trust should be in the Lord. For everything on the earth is subject to the authority of God and can be dispatched to serve the purpose of God. That is of course that it be the will of God. As Christians we can know the will God has for us in this world to be messengers, light givers, ministers of the Gospel. But the greater workings of this world are left to His control and they are not things he intends that we have control over or predict. In many ways its not our business. Despite whoever ends up in office it should have no bearing on who we worship or put our trust in. We trust that the Lord is at work in every way, even at time swe believe the “wrong people” ended up in office. Pray that our leaders, whoever they may be, are blessed with wisdom and discernment and that somehow they are brought into a closer relationship with our Father in heaven. May our trust not be in political parties, or candidates, or anything other than Yahweh, the God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords.
