On to the Next Empire?
It is hard to imagine living in the USA without being exposed to a political view from left or right. Everyone has an opinion. Some opinions could be extreme either way, some more moderate but still lean in a specific direction.
No matter where you live in the U.S. or where your ancestors come from, there are usually two main parties battling for the heart and soul of voters in an effort to convince them that if you put us in power, or keep us in power, your lives will be better. We fall for it, hungry for change, or an update to the status quo, and then, disappointment. They didn’t quite live up to expectations, a congressman, or Senator broke the rules, maybe had an affair, took some money that he or she should not have, said something that was beyond the pale, or betrayed the public trust in general. They are human, we forgive sometimes under the reasoning that, well, the other guy did it too, and they promise not to do it again and we rinse and repeat.
In my walk, I decided to register as an unaffiliated/independent. It is my opinion that as a person of faith, I need to vote, yes, but not be a member of either party because it feels like I am putting politics over faith. The platforms of the major parties do not fully align with the Word of God, so I cannot be of them. The recent rhetoric I have seen online and heard the few times I watched the news breaks my heart, especially when it comes from people who identify as Christians.
In Ephesians 4:29, we are reminded to “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” It is ok to disagree with your neighbor, but we are the light of the world and we should lead the way when it comes to our communication online especially, where it lives permanently.
Pastor Drew spoke a few weeks ago about the error of equating God with our country. In a recent election overseas, the supporters of one party routinely referred to itself as “Great is the party name”. A succession of empires and dynasties ruled over most of the world, now most are gone. They may have thought that God was with them, He may have allowed them time, but then, time’s up. On to the next empire.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us “To every thing there is a season…”. The current rulers and parties and systems all have their time to exist, but then God may allow a replacement sooner than we think.
We put our faith in the Fed, in Congress, in the President, in our military, in the web, in gold, in party, in systems, but our trust should be in God only. Everything else will fade away. The current COVID-19 virus has wiped away much of our faith in things, value in the stock market, and essentially upended everyone’s way of life on this planet. It’s been amazing to see so many people gather to pray together on the streets of New York, Brazil, Rome, Spain and other cities that have been hard hit by the virus.
Something incredible is happening, we may be about to see the end of another empire. As people of faith, we should not worry or be afraid because our trust and hope is in Jesus.
There are some reports that vaccines are on the horizon. We have had access to one cure in God’s word in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
I thank God the healing that is coming, I thank Him for the time off many of us have had, for the ability to reflect and serve and minister to others – to be a beacon to a broken world.
CT