And the Winner Is…

Is there anyone in America who doesn’t know that tomorrow is election day? With our country deeply divided between the two opposing parties, I think it’s safe to say that when the outcome is announced, half of the people will be happy and the other half won’t be. Many of us will just be relieved that it’s over!

In the midst of all the anxiety and nail-biting and fear for the future, I’m trying hard to remember two things. First, that God is in control, even if the next president isn’t the one I voted for. In Old Testament times, God’s people never would have voted for the brutal Persian dictator, King Cyrus. Yet once in power, he allowed the Jews who had been taken captive to Babylon to return to their homeland in Israel. Cyrus even paid for their trip. Why? “In order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia . . .” (Ezra 1). He can direct the heart of any leader to accomplish His purposes.

In New Testament times, God’s people never would have chosen the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus to rule over them. But as we all know from the Christmas story, it was this pagan emperor’s decree that led to Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem—where the prophets had foretold the Messiah would be born. God knew exactly how to direct the course of history so that scripture would be fulfilled. And He already knows the outcome of this election.

The second thing I’m reminding myself is that I have a calling to fulfill that doesn’t hinge on who becomes president. “Go and make disciples of all nations . . .” Jesus told us (Mark 28:19). God didn’t send His Son so that I could live a happy, comfortable life governed by leaders who think like me. He sent Christ so we can be forgiven and live in relationship with Him as our King. We’re supposed to spread that good news everywhere we go, to everyone we meet. And God knows the perfect conditions necessary to reach the lost. The next president’s policies and vision for America may not be to my liking, but my calling to follow Christ’s teachings and to point the way to Him isn’t going to change.

The Bible chronicles Israel’s long history of “good” kings and “bad” kings. Ideally, the people wouldn’t have needed a king at all if they’d trusted God as their king. But they wanted to be like the other nations. Jesus has much to say about the Kingdom of God, the kingdom to which believers today still belong. And whether your candidate wins or loses, His prayer for us is this: “I pray that all of them may be one, Father . . . so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

Do you want to know who’s going to win the election? The man God has chosen for His purposes.