Thursday, November 06, 2008

Post-Election Thoughts

As glad as I am to finally have this election over with, I have very mixed feelings over the president who was elected.

As most of my blog readers can probably pick up, we are very conservative-minded Christians. On Tuesday, we voted that way as well. No candidate or president is perfect but we cast our votes for the one whom we felt best lined up with the conservative values that mean so much to us.

The sanctity of human life...Traditional marriage... National security... Lower taxes.

I spent a lot of time in prayer for this election and have a peace over God's ultimate sovereignty in all of this. This is the first presidential election that I have followed so closely and frankly, it really scared me!

My hope is not in this country or my president. My hope is in Jesus Christ.

I don't believe that God has removed His hand of blessing from America with this election, but rather that He has allowed it in order to carry out His plan.

But what should be my response to this election?

We have had several people coming to us panicking and asking "What do we do now?" This led me to compile a short list of encouraging Scriptures to meditate on and believe in. I know there are many more that could be listed here; these are just a few that I came across.(Feel free to add your favorite Scriptures in the comments!)

John 16:33: "...in me you may have peace. In this world you may have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 14:1:" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Psalm 91:9,10: "If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 4:8: "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Joshua 1:9:"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 39:7:""But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Jeremiah 29:11:"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Lamentations 3:21-23:"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Romans 15:13:"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 10:23:"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This is a time for Bible-believing Christians to snap out of our complacency and truly rely and trust in the power of God. This is not the time for panic! We need to stop playing around, stand up for what we believe in and pray, pray, pray for our nation. Romans 13:11 says, " "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

While I don't believe that America is going to cease to exist with President Obama at the lead, our nation as a whole has forgotten God and the wonderful principles this country was founded upon. This is a frightening place for our country to be.

My next response as a believer is to fulfill my Scriptural responsibility by praying for our new leader. I will respect his authority and support him in prayer, even if I do not agree with his stand on many of the major issues. Romans 13:1:"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

I praise God that He is still on the throne and in control of everything! Even in these uncertain times, I can trust and believe in a God who never ever changes.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. No matter what your view on the election, please keep your words kind and God-honoring. I reserve the right to delete any comment that I feel does not add to the wholesome content that I strive to present on my blog. Thank you!

1 comment:

Arlene said...

Sometimes, I do have those panicky "what are we going to do now?" thoughts, but as we've both mentioned: God is in control. He knows what's best. Maybe this election didn't go the way He planned, but you know what? We can still pray -- pray for our leaders' salvation! Pray for a change of heart! Can you imagine the change that would sweep our land if Obama were to get saved?!