“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
-Romans 13:1
To vote or not to vote.
That is the question for millions of Americans saddled in November with the task of choosing between two distasteful choices for the next President of the United States. Whatever your political persuasion may be, it’s hard to dodge the mud being slung around by political partisans in this campaign cycle.
I wonder how we got to this place. No matter which candidate wins the Presidency, America’s future looks grim.
Then God’s Word comes to me, reminding me He never abdicates authority to lousy leaders. He’s always in control, raising and removing kingdoms as His plan for humanity advances.
This is the part I always forget. God’s plan moves forward toward the glorious establishment of His kingdom, one not of this world and which, in fact, will supersede them all.
God uses earthly governments to play out the war between good and evil, in which we are crucial players.
Nothing is left to chance, and evil will not win, because it has already been conquered on the cross.
The daily battle, though, is an intense one.
We must do our part in God’s work. But there the lines get fuzzy. Do we involve ourselves in political campaigns? Do we engage others in partisan battles? Do we vote for flawed candidates in a corrupt society? What is our duty to God in the nations into which we are born?
Only you can answer that question for yourself. I trust God will speak to you. Vote, or don’t vote, as your conscience dictates. But whatever happens, do not despair. God is the Lord of elections. If He can rule the universe, He isn’t afraid of a ballot box.
He’s got this. He will give America what she needs. His justice and wisdom are perfect, incomprehensible as they may seem to us in difficult circumstances.
And whatever lies ahead for the United States, we can trust in His goodness. Whatever lies ahead, we can look confidently to the future and say, “He is Lord.”
It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings.
– Daniel 2:21