A Time for Judgment…

If you are like me, your inbox has been flooded recently with emails like this one: “There’s still time for us to turn these elections! God is plenty powerful enough to do so. The real question is: Will we rise to the level of prayer and spiritual warfare necessary to release that power? And remember, we don’t need a majority of Christians who are willing and able to do this—only a praying remnant. We can do it!”

American Christians are becoming agitated as November 4^th approaches, and perhaps with good reason. Yet I am troubled by these e-mails, because they seem to reflect a profound lack of trust in the sovereignty of God. Obviously, the writer has enough faith to call for a nationwide prayer meeting and enough confidence to believe that praying could change history. Yet fear percolates through his syllables and his plea reflects a disturbing level of unbelief. Won’t God still be God on November 5^th? Will America’s choice of president diminish God’s power? Or is it something else? Is it fear that at long last American Christians might have to genuinely exercise faith in God rather than trust in their culture?

Few today have heard of the doctrine of the providence of God; it is rarely spoken in today’s seeker-sensitive, culturally relevant churches. The Westminster Confession describes God’s providence this way: “God, the great Creator of all things, does uphold, directly dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy” (V.1).

Admittedly, some of those words are antiquated and would benefit from definition. To “directly dispose” is to arrange or position something for a particular purpose. “Providence” has to do with the management of affairs or resources. And “immutable counsel” is unchallengeable, absolute, unchangeable advice.

Using those definitions we might define providence as God arranging the activities and affairs of all of creation (including humans and nations) according His own knowledge of the future, by His own unassailable counsel, and for His own glory. In other words, the doctrine of providence reminds us that everything that happens in life is divinely ordered. All things happen for a purpose; the world is being led to a place of glorifying God.

Now more than ever, we need to foster an awareness that God is entirely sovereign and in control of all that is happening, even in—or, especially in—this election cycle. We rejoice at the words of Jesus when He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matt. 10:29). Shouldn’t we have as much confidence that America’s civil leadership is also under the care of God?

Please do not misunderstand me; I do not for a moment wish to discourage Christians from praying for this election. We must pray, because this time the hype just might be true—this just might be the most important election we will have in my lifetime. Neither option seems entirely satisfactory, yet I fear that one side could release things that will destroy the very fabric upon which this nation is still, albeit loosely, knit. So we must pray. But prayer alone—especially at this late hour—may not be all that’s needed.

At times like these the well-known scripture from 2 Chronicles is used to prompt us to pray. But even there God revealed that prayer alone would not heal the land: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14). It is time for more than prayer; it is time that we repent.

Let us be honest; have we, like God’s people of old, allowed ourselves to slip into the lifestyle of the world around us? Have we lost the commitment to holiness and righteousness? Haven’t we just become like everyone else? Hasn’t our nation become drunk with debt; engorged with material consumption and polluted by immorality? Don’t the streets run red with the blood of millions and millions of murdered unborn infants? Do we not treat the weak, the elderly, the poor and the stranger with contempt? Surely it is not a surprise that the heathen participate in these horrors; but have we, with our silence, for reasons of our own sufficiency, been complicit in all the evil? Indeed, it is time for repentance, and perhaps this election is designed for that purpose. Perhaps it is a sign that this is a time of judgment.

As Election Day nears and anxieties heighten, let us come before God and make some quality decisions. Let us commit to keeping our eyes fixed upon God. Let us return to His Word. Let us decide to live holy and upright before Him, by the power of His Holy Spirit. Let us reject those “churches” and “pastors” who call us to be like the world, who value being culturally relevant more than committed to the Truth. Let us remember that genuine love for God is expressed by obedience to His commands—not by the doing of deeds no matter how good or noble. Let us live worthy of our calling to be people of God, and rekindle our desire for the things of God.

No matter what happens on November 4^th, let us face it with faith and confidence in God. Remember, the American government is not the source of our peace or prosperity; they are fruits of the Spirit. This nation will only prosper when we return to the Lord whole-heartedly. Let us therefore keep our eyes fixed on God. Let us immerse ourselves in His word. And let us pray. May God have mercy upon the United States of America! And may God have mercy upon us all.