| | I've been doing a lot (probably too much) thinking about our government, our leaders and our economy as of late. The twin forces of a presidential election and a big economic mess have driven me to the point where I'm staying up to all hours reading economic blogs. The whole thing really has just brought me to the point of frustration, anger and even a little despair. I'm really in danger here of loosing a bit of my footing, so I'm trying to step back and remember the big picture of what God is doing. I need to consistently remind myself of two truths. 1) God is sovereign over everything. There is nothing outside of his power, and nothing that surprises him. Whatever is going on in the world is being worked out to his ultimate glory. 2) We are told to act wisely. This is a paradox that I will never come fully to grips with. God is sovereign, and yet we are always talked to in the Bible as if we have free will and choice. How does this ultimately work? I don't know. But here is the comfort in it, I should live as wisely as I can, I should exhort others to live wisely and when the world is still falling down around us be comforted that God is still sovereign and that whatever is happening is being worked out to his purposes.
So now I come to a point. I've found myself looking at our leaders, both the current and the newly elected ones and being disappointed. My list of objections to President Elect Obama's proposed policies and actions could fill several blog posts, and if I got started on the members of congress I could rant from now until the next election. However, in this I've caught myself thinking of these people not as image bearers of God, who ultimately could be justified by Christ and sanctified by the working of his spirit, but as static entities that may act in my timeline, but have static views and opinions. This completely denies the working of the spirit. This completely denies that these people are humans and that God is using them in his will and that he can both justify and sanctify them.
I don't know which members of our government are believers, but to think of them as holding static beliefs that cannot be changed by God's spirit denies my own experience through what God is doing in my life. Just looking back at how God has blessed me with wisdom, fellowship and challenged my beliefs in the last couple of years flies in the face of thinking we are static beings.
So here is my challenge to myself. I am challenging myself to pray regularly for our leaders. To actually sit down and pray for President Elect Obama. Pray that God might bless him with wisdom and discernment. Pray that if he is not actually a believer that God might bless him with faith and sanctify him. Pray that God blesses his family and keeps them safe. And pray for the same for the members of our congress and supreme court.
I still don't fully understand prayer, again God is sovereign, his will will be done. But God has commanded us to pray, and he has said that he answers prayers. I feel that these frustrations are weighting heavily on me, so I'm challenging myself to pray, knowing that God will answer my prayers in some way. I would hope that he would grant what I pray for, but I am at least assured that I will be granted the peace of God.
|
| | Posted 11/13/2008 12:37 PM - 11 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
- recommend
  - recs0
- share
- email
 - sent0
|
