Election Reflection

By Roger d. Stewart

As I watched the returns for our recent presidential election my emotions ran the gamut from despair to elation and back to despair. I kept praying and hoping that someone on the other team would drop the ball and my party would recover the fumble for a touchdown. Alas! It was not to be.

I sat watching the elections with my iPad in my lap, making notes on the notepad about my thoughts, as the election seemed to be slipping away. The first three below were posted on the night of the election. The fourth on the morning after the election.

God is still sovereign. What his plans are for America, we know not. But we trust, and we get on with the business of discipleship.

Upon reading a rant from a Facebook friend, calling God’s wrath down on those who voted in a way they did not approve:

If we truly understood the horror of hell and the depth of the anguish awaiting those who will experience it, the truly Christ-like person would wish it on no one. If we are to find peace in this life, it will be found within hearts that are as gentle and forgiving as the heart of our Teacher. To be forgiven, we must learn to forgive. To be treated gently we must learn to be gentle. Do we like the results of the election? Perhaps not, but to live in peace and gentleness we must learn to accept that somehow, someway, God is working in it for the good of those who love him. Amen.

My last published thoughts for the evening after reading so many posts by those who were discouraged by the election results:

I refuse to resign myself to a fate dealt by humans. I refuse to accept any notion that the fate of our nation rests solely on the shoulders of whomever occupies the White House or sits in the halls of Congress or rules on the (so-called) Supreme Court. The fate of our nation is dependent upon the effectual fervent prayers of righteous men and women; on the words of our Bible class teachers; on the parents who are more concerned about teaching their children to carry the light instead of a football; and upon the influence of the City that is set upon a hill! Lost the election? Who? Stuff and nonsense! I am the elect! WE are the elect! Let us get on with our task!

The general theme of the posts during the night continued to be “Woe is us! Whatever shall we do?”  The following are my Morning-After thoughts.

My last on the election. (At least for now.) Did I like the result? No, I hated it. Do I think our country is in trouble? Yes, I am terrified for her. So do I continue in my sackcloth and ashes? No, to borrow from David, I wore them in the hope that God would relent and give us mercy. It is now time for us to get up, wash ourselves and burn the sackcloth. It is now time for us to admit that our ONLY hope as a nation is not in Washington but in an old 2000 year-old cross. Will we lose our rights? In a failing democracy, that is a fore-drawn conclusion. So do we mourn our failed plans for the 2012 elections? No. Apparently God didn't like them. There is much work to be done, and it doesn't include waging war over the tired old theological arguments. Our work must center around efforts to find ways to unite with Christians around the world in spite of our differences with them. Ways to work with people with whom we disagree to achieve the common goal of holding up Jesus to a world that doesn't know him. I realize this may get me crucified, but we've tried the other way and it has been nothing but an impotent embarrassment. Pray for our nation; get busy learning what it means to love God and not this present world; and finally learn to be content, busy and Christian in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. The Lord of Harvest is coming soon!

Praise Him!