KEEP WATCH

Has God abandoned the United States?

The ship of dreams is floundering in deep waters of unprincipled ideology

With the stunning results from the 2012 presidential election now history, what are Christians to think about the surprising results? Seriously, can God still be on our side?

On election night, my wife and I witnessed the "best hope" for a revived economy and new direction for our country dissolve into four more years of the same or worse. Even though we recognize elections have consequences, the 2012 results are especially consequential. It was hard for us to imagine how so many people could vote for a party that unashamedly promotes abortion, same sex marriage, and abhorrence for the American way of life.

The reality of four more years of partisan gridlock, secret backroom deals, political spin, crony corruption, and ongoing disregard for the Christian faith and our Constitution is astonishing. This "new reality" has the potential to consume our best efforts and overall sense of wellbeing. For many of us, and especially the young and hopeful, there will be minimal opportunity for college, careers, and jobs. For the older population, the golden years are not looking so golden. With Social Security and Medicare approaching insolvency, the elderly and others who depend on these safety net programs may need to say goodbye to what they've depended on for so many years. What will they do? Where will they go? Who will care for them?

In view of our national decline and overwhelming economic, financial, and social uncertainties, has God has abandoned the United States?

Our minds have a hard time grappling with answers to these questions. We do not always understand why things turn out as they do. God is sovereign in all things, keenly aware of the election results, and sensing our dread. During the silence of prayer, one can hear the Spirit whisper, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10). God is on our side. His watchful eye follows our daily walk like a mother hovering over a toddler (Psalm 121:8). Falling and getting up seems to be part of the divine plan with lessons to learn along the way.

In the affairs of men, God does not choose sides. He is far above the thoughts and ways of all men (Isaiah 55:8-9). Men and their systems of rule do not and cannot ascend to the things of God (Proverbs 14:7). Both political parties come from the same warped casting. Differing in character and color, both parties are endlessly entrenched in their duplicitous ways. To be sure, we are sojourners in a strange place where the ungodly do not want to know God (Romans 1:18-22). For them, God is a distant thought at best, at worst an unknown reality, but most assuredly not in their future plans.

Although I wish it were not so, the truth about this nation's current situation should not be diminished nor glossed over with "fairytale solutions" promised by either political party. This nation has been severely shaken in the last several years. The super structure of the United States, like the Titanic, has been rent by ungodly ideologies. These leaders look upon their corrupt behavior as a rite-of-passage to world governance, cloaking their dictator-like demeanor in persuasively smooth rhetoric while plotting dark plans of demise for anyone of differing thought.

While the 2012 election results are disappointing, Jesus tells us not to worry about the things of this world (Luke 12:26-28). Our task is to abide in Christ by looking up to see the salvation of the Lord. We are in the world but not of the world. (John 15:19). Despite the irreversible course now set for this country, the midnight call is closer than ever.

The takeaway from the unexpected voting results is proof enough that true believers have not been abandoned by God, even if they live in a country that has abandoned Him.

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Published 11-13-12