Last night’s primaries were a wake up call to those who are comfortable with ‘politics as usual,’ but if we don’t take advantage of this moment then all of the efforts made to win those races will be lost. I believe we need to be focused on the only certain cure to our ills, and that is by fervently praying and asking God to heal our land.
We can’t put our faith in political parties or ideologies any more than we can worship individual leaders. It is the Lord who works in the hearts and minds of those that he has placed in positions of authority over us. We are commanded to pray for those leaders, and I believe that praying for God to change their hearts and minds is the most honorable way to do that.
Our Constitution defined a very different system of governing than what we have allowed to develop. I’ll write more about that on Constitution Day, this Friday September 17th, but today my focus is on our individual responsibilities.
When we hold too tightly to our own comfort or desires, I believe we are failing in our duty as American citizens. Matthew 22:21 “…Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." My standard comment to those who do not vote or participate in the political process in this country is that one of the principles our nation was founded on was citizen participation in the political process. That means that in the US, part of what we ‘give to Caesar’ is our informed vote.
For some of us, what we will be called to give is serving in public office, and for others it will be supporting those who strive to be elected. We may have to put our own plans on hold for a time, or do things that stretch our faith, but they are worth doing. We need to be active in the public square, talking about our ideals and principles as they relate to public policies.
Some of us may be the lone voice of virtue in their sphere of influence; others may find themselves ridiculed by friends or family for their beliefs. Our nation is in deep trouble right now, and if we don’t begin to put country ahead of our personal agenda, we will have only ourselves to blame. John Ratzenberger (the actor who played Cliff Clavin in Cheers, but don’t hold that against him) just said something interesting on Fox: “I don’t think any of the soldiers at Valley Forge stopped and paused and thought, ‘Geez, what about my career?’”
If you fall into the trap of thinking that your vote doesn’t matter, or that your voice won’t be heard, remember something else that Mr. Ratzenberger reminded us of today: only 3% of citizens in Colonial America really wanted a revolution and to be independent of England, but they moved mountains!
Throughout history, God has used individuals to make enormous changes in His world. How will God use you?
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