Church Can Still Be Cool

Last night our country changed direction. As I sat and watched the returns roll in my emotion changed from hope, to shock, to disappointment… heck, there was even a little fear mixed in. As the night wore on, a strange thing took the place of all of that… I became resolved.

This may come as a surprise, but there are actually a few things that I am thankful for after last night. First, I am thankful that while last night we elected a new president, we still serve the same King. The country changed direction and perhaps ideologies, but Christ didn’t, for He is the Lord, and He does not change. It is easy to get wrapped up in a situation that seems hopeless, but our God is a God of hope, and God who promises that ALL things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. God was not surprised by the election results last night. His plan is still to give me hope and a future, I now have the task of walking in obedience to Him.

Second, I am thankful for a renewed passion to pray for our country and the man who will be leading it. We can no longer be Red Elephants or Blue Donkeys, we, the body of Christ, must now make our second most important affiliation simply Americans, united under one cause, which is to see America again become, “one nation, under God, indivisible…” My hope is that those who voted for Senator McCain will now pray for Barack Obama to become intimately intune with voice of God even harder than they prayed that he wouldn’t win the election. More than most, this man need the wisdom of Solomon, and the guidance of a just and merciful God. I am thankful that God is up to that challenge. But we have to step up, church. There is no place anymore for partisanship, at least not until 2012. We are all in this together, and as for me, I choose to stand on the promise that “if My people who are called by name will 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.” The charge isn’t to pray that another be convicted of his sin, though we certainly can, the charge is to admit where WE have fallen short of God’s glorious standard, and then pray. Pray for our country, pray for President-Elect Obama, and pray that God heal our land. The truth is that God desires that even this man would come to an intimate, passionate, life-changing closeness with Him. It’s our job to stand in the gap for him until he does.

Finally, I am thankful for the privilege of being called a son of God, for I know that any Father worth his salt looks out for his kids, even in the most trying of times. I am thankful that there is a God more trustworthy than the nation in which I live, and I am thankful for the grace and mercy He has showered on me. The next four years are going to be interesting to say the least, but I KNOW THAT GOD IS IN THIS WITH US!! And, in the end, that brings me back to hope. After all, if He is for us, whom then shall we fear?