there are a lot of facebook statuses and overheard conversations i've encountered recently about people being "scared" about the election, fearful for our country, likening political candidates to figures such as....Satan.
be careful, believer. be careful.
For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. - Col 1:16
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work - Titus 3:1.
i am not telling you to not pray for our country, to not pray for godly decision making, to not stand up for what you believe. but as a follower of Jesus Christ - you are called to submit to the authorities He has put in place. He has put in place. God is in control. our perspectives are very narrow, very small. God has gone before, behind, and with us into all of time.
stop being disrespectful. stop thinking you know everything.
do what you can (i.e. vote according to the convictions God has placed on your life) in faith and let God be God.
and stop slandering people. now.
watch the election tomorrow night in faith that whoever becomes the next ruler of our nation God has placed there for a reason. "be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution" (1 peter).
do not be afraid, believer, do not be afraid.
"the Lord your God is with you" and He longs for your eyes to be fixed on Him, on eternity. "be anxious for nothing." He is in control.
God establishes governments to maintain some level of order in a broken world - not to fix anything, not to play god.
let's stop believing that God for a millisecond can stop being God. let's recognize that if Jesus Christ ceased thinking of us for a moment - life would end. "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together."
do not be afraid.
13 comments:
Amen Sister!
love it!
thank you. Goodness. thank you.
I especially like the part "stop thinking you know everything." Awesome.
yeaaa go brotha.
abby i extremely appreciate your honest and refreshing perspective that honors the true ways of our Lord. :)))
That is so refreshing to read. Thank you. And amen to that.
I like the comments. Important not to overreact to one man being elected. Let me challenge you on two points though.
Did God put Obama in place, or did He allow Americans to choose someone he did not ordain (as He gave Israel their choice of Saul when He was not God's man)? Did God ordain (put in place) Hitler?
Should we submit to an immoral, ungodly government? Would you have submitted to the Nazi government when they asked you hand over Jews to be executed?
Note: I'm not equating Obama with Hitler. I'm just using Hitler as the extreme example.
Chris,
Thanks for your questions. You could be correct about God allowing America to choose as the Israelites chose Saul. As far as submitting to an ungodly government - I have no intention of dishonoring God in order to honor the government. My point is just that we need to respect our leaders and trust that God is in control. Should the next four, or any amount, of years create situations in which I am forced to choose between obeying the government and obeying the Lord, I pray and believe that I would obey the Lord.
Chris,
Good questions. It's cool that people are thinking through these things. I would say two things.
First, to the question of whether Obama was put in place by the Lord or by man, I think we see times in scripture where both happens. It is interesting that the Bible so often places God's sovereign will next to human responsibility and makes no attempts to reconcile what would seem to be two distinctly opposite worldviews. That is just something that makes me think sometimes.
With that said, I believe that one of two things happened. Either the Lord did put Obama in place, in which case He has a plan, or He allowed us to put Obama in place because He was going to work through His presidential term (or terms). What He is working, we might not see for a long time. But I believe that God is an immovable Author that can be trusted.
As for your second question, are you asking whether we should submit to this ungodly government or to any ungodly government? If the first, I would ask you what about this government is ungodly to you, and if the second, I feel Abby's answer is right on point. If our government forces us into situations where we must participate in something that directly contradicts the Word of God, then I hope that we would all have the faith the respond like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
and just out of curiosity - is this ellen o'meara and chris...i don't know?
I'm really enjoying reading your blog! Love your heart. :) Mary
This has been one of my favorite posts on the election, Abby. Amen.
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