I Lost the Election

I lost the election.

That is to say, the candidate that I voted for lost the election. I checked the election results all night long (as my 2 year old woke me with coughing and crying), and my discouragement grew as the results rolled in, state by state, and it looked like President Obama would carry away a clear victory.

When I finally got up this morning after a sleepless night, and saw that President Barack Obama accepted a decisive victory, I felt disappointed, discouraged, like I had failed. I had failed to pray enough. The Christian community had failed to carry the vote, like some said they could. We as born-again believers had failed the nation and our cause.

But then the Holy Spirit whispered something into the ear of my heart:

“… He sets up kings and deposes them…”

Here is the entire Scripture:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;

wisdom and power are His.

He changes times and seasons;

he sets up kings and deposes them.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;

he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.”            

                                                            Daniel 2:20-22

God reminded me that He elects our leaders. “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). God is Sovereign. God chooses our leaders. God has elected our President, and God has chosen those who will lead our country.

But it goes farther. God directs the decisions of our leaders as well.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.         Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)

Ultimately, I’m reminded that God is in charge. He chooses our leaders. He places them in authority. He directs their decisions. He even uses those leaders who do not acknowledge Him to do His work (like Cyrus in Isaiah 45:1-5).

As believers in an all-powerful, Almighty, Sovereign God, we have nothing to fear. There is no agenda that will succeed without the permission of our King. Instead of mourning, we should be praying. Instead of criticizing, we should instead be looking at our own lives, asking what WE are doing to change our nation. Instead of condemning those whose lifestyles do not match our values, we should look at our own lives as ask where we ourselves are not obeying the Bible’s teaching.

As my wise pastor said this Sunday,

“It is not what happens in the White House that matters,

but what happens in our house.”