JadeRose wrote:I guess I'm not arrogant enough to believe that I know God's will or that he gives a crap one way or another about our little elections and what not here on Earth. I'm thinking he has better things to do. It's kinda like somebody praying for his football team to win on Sunday.
No, this is not even close to the same thing as praying for your football team to win. The Bible says that God appoints our leaders for His purpose. Paul says in Romans 13:1 "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." Peter says in I Peter 2:13 - 16 "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."
Peter wrote this around the mid 60's AD after the Roman Emperor Nero had started his persecution of Christians. Only folks full of God’s Spirit could willingly subject themselves to a political leader who would seek to imprison and kill them. Nero would prove to be the “Hitler” of his time. We Western Christians have had it easy, and have no idea what it cost many of our brothers and sisters to follow Jesus. We’re afraid of offending, or think persecution is someone laughing at us, or implying that we’re backward or ignorant. Many willingly gave their lives to be named with Christ.
Back to the point. We are to acknowledge that God put our leaders in power, for His purpose, whether it be for His judgement on a nation, His blessing, purging of His church, or anything else He has in mind. This does not mean that we blindly follow a leader when he goes against God's law. As Christians we are to obey God first, and our leaders second.
All through this election, I have prayed that God would replace Obama with a man of moral character, but not my will, but His be done. Last night, when God had His say, I rebelled in sinful anger. I was angry that the one whom I thought, in my flawed wisdom would be God's choice had lost, and I was angry at those whom I assumed voted for Obama out of sinful greed, and hatred for God's law. I cried out like Asaph in the 73rd Psalm, "Lord why do the wicked prosper?" This was a heinous sin of "self-righteousness" on my part, as my motives where just as evil, if not more so then anyone else's. Apart from God's grace, I know in my corrupt heart, that I am capable of the most horrendous crimes against both God and man. Praise God for His sustaining grace, as left to myself, I could be numbered with the worse this world has ever seen. I apologize to all, whom, when in a fit of sinful anger, I accused of greed and stupidity.
God has convicted me of my prideful sin and rebellion. I am to accept Obama as the leader God placed in power at this particular time, to accomplish His purposes. When his policies spit in the face of God, and God's law, I can be vocal, criticize and fight against them without sin, and even support legal means to replace him, but I must still respect him as our leader, and am commanded to pray for him.
I am a weak man, and know that I may fail many times and lash out in anger, but I pray that God's grace, and the reminder of this post will keep me in check. It's going to take tremendous grace for me to actually hit the "post" button, as I know that once I post this, I can not go back to my old ways. I also understand that many Christians may disagree with what I've said here, and some may be offended, but I must do, what I must do. May God give me the courage.
