The votes are in!

The election is over and America has decided. We have a new President-elect, Barack Obama.

So what should be the posture of believers at this point? Scripture commands us to pray for those who rule over us.

BTW, this is something we should do, whether we voted for them or not!

Pray that the Lord will give our future President wisdom in the decisions he will make. And remember this, God is in control. Things will fall into their proper place as God brings about the events He said would transpire before His return.

Remember, history is “His story.”

A new administration

In the book of Daniel, we read about a transition of power where one administration was passing and a new one was arriving. In Daniel’s case, Darius was the new ruler over Babylon.

So what did the prophet do? Daniel studied the Scripture and prayed. But what is interesting is that Daniel prayed for himself and repented of his personal sin, as we read in Daniel 9:

It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I wore rough sackcloth and sprinkled myself with ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. (NLT)

Two extremes

You can read the rest of Daniel 9 to see what else the prophet prayed for. But that is what we need to be doing right now as Christians, praying. The election is over, the voting is done, and the decision has been made.

Sometimes, believers can go too far one of two directions when it comes to elections, voting, and even politics in general.

One extreme is to not participate at all, and thus miss the opportunity to make a real difference with your vote and be the best influence you can be for godly principles. I’m glad enough people voted to say “Yes” to Proposition 8 here in California, because we believe in God’s order for marriage!

America has voted for change

The other extreme is to make politics your passion instead of Christ! Where you become more focused on these things instead of your primary mission, which is to preach the gospel.

America has voted for change. What that change will be remains to be seen. But the only way to bring lasting change is when it happens in the heart. And government cannot do that for us, only Christ can.

One day, He will come back and take “The government upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). But for now, we have mankind doing the job, and it will always disappoint, regardless of your party affiliation.

This Sunday at Harvest

This Sunday at Harvest, I want to talk about how the early Church used prayer so effectively, and how we can do the same, especially in these days ahead. My message will be titled “The Power of Prayer” and it is part of my series Upside-Down Living.