Historically Amazing Victory Revisited

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and

those that exist have been instituted by God.

Therefore whoever resists the authorities

resists what God has appointed,

and those who resist will incur judgment.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?

Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,

for he is God's servant for your good.

But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain.

For he is the servant of God, an avenger

who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath

but also for the sake of conscience.

For because of this you also pay taxes,

for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed,

revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed,

honor to whom honor is owed."
(Romans 13:1-7 ESV)

After the elections in November, 2008, I wrote a Facebook Note wherein I shared my personal thoughts on the election results. Soon after, some questioned where my allegiance lied as a born-again Christian. Here is an excerpt,

""What they failed to see was that my focus was not so much on the 'man of the hour', but on God who brought the 'man of the hour' into leadership. Instead of their focus being on Him, they create a checklist of all that 'the man' has done to destroy the foundations of our great country thus far. I know God allowed and, dare I say purposed, 'the man' to be brought into power. Could it be perhaps to show us how, yet again, we as a people look to man, to the wealthy, to political parties, to unions, to governments, to priests, to pastors, to rabbis, to church, to state, to spouses, to job places, to our left and to our right to solve worldly issues rather than to turn to God and seek His Word for guidance for things eternal?

Let me remind you my last thoughts to the "Historically Amazing Victory" Note clearly stated:

"Thankfully, as a reformed Christian - my hope is not in men, but in the sovereignty of God. Otherwise, I would be wasting my life on an insatiable desire for ideaologies that have no eternal victory. So, praise God for He IS working in our midst. May God keep President-elect, Barack Obama, and steer him to lead our great country that we so cherish! [Rom. 8:28]"

You see, I am an ambassador for Christ [2 Corin. 5:20, Eph. 6:20]. My allegiance is first and foremost to God, the author and creator of life and this world, (and) to proclaim the gospel of Christ Jesus. And, I'm called to pray...pray for those in power and not in power...pray for those with much and those with little...pray for those hurting and not hurting...and, to pray for those who believe and don't believe."

Four years later, my mind has not changed regarding our need to pray for our elected officials and to wisely be subject under their God-given leadership role in our country [Rom. 13:1-7]. For I have come to a place in my life where I can rest in God's sovereignty and in the hope of salvation that He offers, which brings me peace.

 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

[Psalm 27:1 ESV]