Political Power

 February 16, 2022

“God is Judge. He puts down one and exalts another.” —Psalm 75:7

How easily we slip into complaining or criticizing whoever holds political power at any given moment when we are on the opposite side of the aisle! I will come out and say it: I am not a fan of Biden or his policies. From my perspective, they are ruinous to the country and a threat to the freedoms we have enjoyed for years. That being said, he does not bear sole responsibility for the disasters we have been experiencing both domestic and foreign. The collusion of Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Business, and Big Government has been building for years, censoring those who fail to toe the party line. 

Those who support the present policies have their own set of grievances about the past administration, which leads me to today‘ s text. For those of us who get all worked up about things political, these words are a timely reminder that God is still in control. We don’t understand why he chooses to raise up some of the people who come into power, and why he puts down others. We scratch our heads and fall back on the words of Isaiah who reminded us the “God’s ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts; for as the heavens are above the earth, so far are God’s thoughts than ours.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

A couple administrations ago, I read repeated Facebook posts from someone who was clearly not a fan. His words were quite sarcastic and critical. I could understand the sentiment, but this person who posted was a Christian, so I asked a question that never got answered: “When was the last time you prayed for our president?” After all, we are commanded to pray for those in positions of authority, whether we like them or not. And we are commanded to bless them, even if they wrong us. 

The amount of invective we see and read in the media is appalling. And it is increasing. Sadly, many of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ are right in the middle of the name-calling, the cursing and condemning, while our prayers for those in authority remain unspoken. If we truly believe in prayer, why do we offer so few for those with whom we disagree? I have almost no influence over my congressmen and women, my senators, my representatives in Albany and Washington. They don’t know me, and are not about to drop everything to hear my opinions. But I have a Heavenly Father who is eager to hear my prayers. It just makes sense to obey his command to pray for our governmental authorities, because God alone has the ability to raise them up or put them down. 

So, don’t complain. Cry out to God, and see what happens. He’s the One with the ultimate political power!