Inaugural Reflections

I just finished watching the Inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama. And I must say that I am so proud to be an American. Consider the peaceful transfer of power, sadly unique in our world. During the Inauguration I was fascinated by something that is insignificant in one sense, and monumental in the other: the fact that precisely at noon, the White House website transitioned to President Barack Obama. There for the entire world to “surf” was a statement about America – though our political persuasions may differ, we battle with ideas, not bullets. We take each other to task using nouns and verbs, not violence. And when the people have voiced their preference for a leader, the will of the people is respected by those currently leading.

I am also proud of America in that today’s events solidify the fact that we have come a long way. On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech. In only the 12th election following that speech, America elected her first African-American President. Indeed, President Obama referenced how far we [as a nation] have traveled. In his Inaugural Address he observed the amazing reality that in the same nation where “less than sixty years ago [his father] might not have been served at a local restaurant [he] can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

For me personally, I can’t help but think of the many stories of racial hatred and abuse that have significantly shaped my own passion for the underprivileged and for those who are so often ignored by our larger society. For me, the stories of Vernon Johns, Ralph Abernathy, Medger Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Rosa Parks; the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Shwerner; the killing of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing have etched in me a desire for equality and a passion for justice that crosses racial and ethnic lines.

Join me in praying today for God to give our President wisdom, compassion, and the courage necessary to lead a nation as diverse and as powerful as ours. And join me in realizing that God has blessed America in so many ways.

May God Bless America and President Barack Obama.

God's Will and Presidential Elections

The message yesterday was based on James 4:11-17. In that context I shared that we are often fooled by thinking we have enough information to condemn another (ie. "stop passing judgment on each other") and by thinking we control our destinies (ie. presuming upon the future.)

In the context of presuming on the future I made a statement that raised a few questions. I said that "it was God's will that Sen. Obama become President Elect Obama." Now...why would a Nascar loving, God-fearing, unborn baby defending, conservative Christian make such a statement?

It seems to me that the Bible teaches that all those who rise to power do so with at least the permission of God's will, if not that active participation of God. So whether you opt for God's permissive will or God's active will, it was God's will at work.

I think, for example, of passages like Isaiah 40:23 that says:
"He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing." If God is able to do that to princes / rulers in power, it is no small leap to believe he can prevent people from acquiring power.

Further, Isaiah 41:2-4 says:

"Who has stirred up one from the east,
calling him in righteousness to his service?
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.
He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
Who has done this and carried it through,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD -with the first of them
and with the last—I am he."

This is a passage talking about God raising up a king frm the east to bring judgment on his people. But, God ends up by taking the responsibility for the king's rise to power.
Another passage is John 19:8-11. There, we find this exchange between Jesus and Pilate:

"When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.""

In this context, Jesus states that the power Pilate has (as a political leader) has come from God.
Based on these texts, it seems clear to me that the rise (and fall) from political power is within God's sovereign control. In other words, no ruler comes to power apart from God, in some way, putting him (or her) there. So while I do not like many of President-elect Obama's policies - indeed I find very few of them to be morally or biblically acceptable (i.e. stem cell research, abortion rights, homosexual marriage, et al) - God has a purpose in him being in office.

As followers of Christ I urge you to pray daily for our president.
Pray for God to give him wisdom and guidance.
Pray for him to resist the urge to listen to those who would lead our nation down the wrong path.
Pray for God to place wise counselors in his path.
Pray for his safety and health. He is our President and I can think of nothing worse than harm or illness befalling him.
Pray for his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, that they would not be overwhelmed by "life in a fishbowl" that is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

I ask God's blessing on he and his family and urge you to do the same - regardless of your political affiliation.

For a great blog on what people are really thirsting for in this election, visit Mark Driscoll's blog at http://theresurgence.com/in_god_we_do_not_trust.