No matter your political affiliation, who you voted for, or what you think is going to happen, today is an important day. Today we get a new president. Take a deep breath. It'll be OK.
It'll be OK because God is still God, we are still under Him, and He will not abandon those who love Him (Deuteronomy 31:6). There are many precedents for our President, but there is no precedent for our God. He stands alone.
Some precedents are good, others--not so much.
Wherever you look, rulers have examples to follow; some are good, others are not. Whether it be a king or queen, a president or prime minister, a dictator or a mayor, there have been good ones and bad ones. Often, people didn't (and don't) know what they've got until they get it, and sometimes not even then. Power can do funny things; it makes some greater, and destroys others. In some it brings out the best, others the worst. Power can corrupt, but it doesn't have to.
The precedents we have of God are not like that. While we may not understand what God does, we know and believe that He works out all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). God is good, all the time. That's the precedent we have to lean on, hold to, and hope in.
I don't know what President Donald Trump will be like. Looking at what we know, there are some promising precedents in his history, and some scary ones as well. I do not, however, put my hope in Donald J. Trump. I put my hope in Almighty God. I know Trump could let me down. I know God never will.
God never has failed me. Not once. He's not always delivered what I wanted, when I wanted, or how I wanted, but He's always done what is best. I believe that. The precedents of men are that they have, and will, fall. The precedent of God is that He has always stood firm in truth, in faith, in love. God's rule is true and eternal. Man's, whoever the man is, is fleeting and limited. Those precedents will never change.
Sometimes we get what we ask for.
And sometimes we don't have because we don't ask, or we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:2-3). That's another precedent, in case you didn't notice. Sometimes God's people don't get what they want because they don't ask God, or ask in the wrong way. Want the President to succeed? Ask God. Ask Him to make Trump a good president, one with strong morals and sure justice, a man after God's heart. Ask not for yourself, but for God. Ask that Trump would do God's work in God's way. It's not us who matter--it's God. Don't forget that.
Sometimes we get what we ask for, and then realize it's not what we really wanted. Are you tempted to pray for the President's failure? Be careful what you ask for. What if God gives it to you? Is it really what you want? Don't kid yourself--prayers are powerful. God answers prayers. That's a precedent we need to be very aware of.
If we are in God's will and pray, He will listen. He will hear us. He will answer. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful (James 5:16). Use that power. Pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2). How about we set a precedent and pray for our president, whoever it may be? That's a precedent worth setting!
It's an important day.
It may change our country and even the world.
It is also the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it (Psalm 118:24).
That's a precedent that could change our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment