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.” 

The Reluctant Leader

But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"     
                                                                                                                             Exodus 3:11

Moses started as a reluctant leader. He became one of the greatest leaders of all time. How did Moses get from reluctant shepherd to mighty leader? Lets look at his first direct interaction with God in Exodus 3-4. God laid a foundation in this first discussion with Moses for their relationship in years to come. God was plain and straight-forward. God built His confidence, not by showing Moses his strengths, but instead by showing Moses His strengths.

Lets look at Exodus 3-4 play by play:

1. God calls Moses. God went to great lengths to speak specifically to Moses. He had a plan for Moses. He wanted Moses, and not just anyone.

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Exodus 3:2

God also has a specific calling for each of us. He will make it clear to us if we just pay attention.

2. God calls him by name. God knows Moses' name. He wants Moses' attention. He wants Moses to have no question that He is speaking to him, specifically. 

God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" Exodus 3:4

Our God is a personal God. He knows us deeply, intimately. He knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). He isn't suprised by our personality. And He knows our name. Listen, you may hear Him calling you by name. What is He saying to you?

3. His presence was there. God was clearly THERE with Moses; why else would He tell Moses that this was holy ground?

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”    Exodus 3:5

Where is the holy ground in your life? What is sacred, or needs to be sacred? Have you set aside some holy time or holy place to be alone with God?

4. God identifies Himself. God clarifies which God He is - not some pagan god. By reminding Moses that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is reminding him of His faithfulness to the forefathers. He is reminding Moses of the mighty deeds He has accomplished, promises fulfilled, and the relationships He had with those families. Its like taking a walk back through Genesis in just a name.

Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:6

Don't we sometimes need to be reminded who God is? I certainly do. When we are doubting ourselves, we need to look back at this amazing God and what He has already done. We need to look at His faithfulness to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Esther, Ruth, Gideon... and know that He will be this faithful to us as well. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His faithfulness lasts through all generations (Psalm 100:5).

5. God tells Moses His plan. God also tells Moses His intentions and even His motivation to do these things.

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.   Exodus 3:7-8

6. God tells Moses his job in His plan. God is specific in His intructions for Moses:

"So now, go, I am sending you to Pharoah to bring my people the Isrealites out of Egypt." Exodus 3:10

7. God tells Moses His name. 
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM."      Exodus 3:14

8. God tells Moses what to say. Moses didn't even have to come up with his own words. God gives him the words.
“Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’        Exodus 3:16-17

9. God tells Moses what will happen. There will be no suprises for Moses. God prepares him ahead of time.  God clearly wants to prepare Moses for this journey He has chosen Moses for.

“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
   “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”                       Exodus 4:18-22

10. God shows Moses the tools he has access to. Moses has not yet seen the power of Yahweh, the God of his fathers. God wanted to let Moses know who was calling him to do amazing things. But this God also had the power to do amazing things, and could give Moses this power. God did this also to build Moses' confidence.

    Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
   Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
   “A staff,” he replied.
   The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
   Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
   Then the LORD said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
   “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
   Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”        
             Exodus 4:1-8


11. God reminds Moses who he is. This is another reminder for the doubting, reluctant leader. God reminds Moses who he is, and in contrast, who He is.

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
   The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  Exodus 4:10-12

When we doubt our abilities to do something for the Kingdom of God, don't look to God to encourage you in your strengths. Instead, ask Him to remind you of His strengths. We are nothing, and can do nothing apart from God (John 15:5). But with God, all things are possible (Luke 2:37).

Lord God, show us yourself so that we may believe.

Warrior Women

 "Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman.”                 Judges 4:9


"Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time" (Judges 4:4) For a season, God chose a woman to lead Israel. Judges 4 tells us that she was a prophetess and a wife, to Lappidoth, who we don't know anything about. Judges 4:5 says that "she held court under the Palm of Deborah... and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes settled." Having a place named after her where she worked meant she was established, and the fact that Israelites from all over the land came to her to settle their disputes tells us that she was well respected. There is no indication in the text that her leadership was opposed within Israel, despite the fact that she was a woman.

Yet she was opposed from the outside of Israel by Jabin, a king of Canaan (Judges 4:2), who had "cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years" (4:3). This king had 900 hundred iron chariots, a symbol of military strength and power. However, God had told His people not to acquire many horses (Deut. 17:16) and not to be afraid of armies that had many horses and chariots because "the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you" (Deut. 20:1).

Deborah, as a prophetess and appointed judge over Israel, would have known the Scriptures and God's commandments to His people in Deuteronomy. Barak, the commander of her army, was not as faith-full. Deborah had a word from the Lord for Barak:

“The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. ⁷ I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”                        Judges 4:6-7

But Barak was afraid. He wouldn't go up against Sisera's army without Deborah by his side.

Who in our lives, other than God, do we feel we need at our sides when a battle comes our way? Do we not believe that if God has called us to a task, that He will also equip us to do it?

I think of Moses and Aaron. Moses didn't believe that God would fully equip him to deliver Israel from the hand of Egypt. He wanted Aaron along. God allowed him Aaron, but was angered by Moses' unbelief (Exodus 4:14).

Deborah also did go with Barak. And God did what He said He would do. Barak, with Deborah at his side, defeated Sisera's chariots and army by the sword (4:15). Sisera himself, commander of a mighty army, was killed by Jael, a woman, who drove a tent peg through his temple in a tent while he slept (4:21).  Jabin, the King, who sent Sisera against Israel, was also defeated in time by Israel (4:24).

God used two warrior women to do His work: Deborah, who trusted God, and was not afraid even in battle, and Jael, who finished the job with what she had at hand; in this case, a tent peg.

God, give us confidence to do the tasks that you give us. Help us not to be afraid, but to believe you will equip us and provide what we need to fight our battles. Thank you that you use women in physical and spiritual warfare. May we all be prepared for battle.  Amen.