It’s interesting every four years watching so many get their thoughts, their brains – (and the need to revisit their junior high mentality) – over who is going to become elected President of the USA.  It’s sad, too.  I watch those who would rather be ‘right’ than be civil and maintain friendships when ultimately there is not a whole lot we can do about much of what goes on in this world.  I’m not saying ‘don’t be passionate’ – I’m passionate!  But more often than not, it’s the crude, rude, careless and sometimes mean way some go about holding onto their passion without regard for others that gives everyone a sense of dread -every four years.

Everyone should cast their vote – uphold the law – vote for the virtues of our country.  To me, that’s the best way to uphold our passion – not with angry jabs caring for no one but ourselves.  Everyone should have the right to express themselves, but in a way that says, “I respect you, too”.  Someone once said that it’s not so much what we say, but how we say it.  I will never, ever forget my beloved eighth-grade teacher who taught us that kindness, respect, words that didn’t offend were all a connection to ‘intelligence’.  I will never forget that.  For sure, whether I was intelligent or not, I wanted to be thought of as intelligent.  So maybe if I restrained myself while holding on to my passions, everyone might think I would have perhaps an ounce of sharpness, cognitively.

To me, if things don’t go as we think they should, we need to be mindful that God has a plan that includes everything that happens in the whole universe!  We need to remember that God uses all events – good and bad – to accomplish His purposes.  In times of uncertainty, the assurance of God’s sovereignty is a powerful comfort.  Psalm 75:6,7 –  “For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.  But God is the judge.  He decides who will rise and who will fall.”   From Daniel 2.21 –  ‘it is HE Who changes the times and the periods; HE removes kings and appoints kings’.

You may think the world (or at least your world) is coming to an end if your candidate isn’t elected.  But can you imagine if you lived at the time of Christ and saw Judas Iscariot betray our beloved Jesus.  You might have thought – ‘what is GOD thinking?!  Why would He ever allow that?!!’   But God allowed Judas to betray His  Son  so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world.  To think! –  an act so unconscionable produced the Savior of the world!  If you remember Joseph’s words in Genesis 50 after he had been betrayed by his own flesh and blood – sold into slavery – and lied about to his father, his words to his brothers were “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”.  Whoever is elected president in the coming week, we have to know that GOD intends it for ‘good’!

We don’t know a whole lot about Jehu in II Kings 19, but this pretty unsavory fellow was a captain in Israel’s army whom GOD anointed as king over Israel.  He did much that was good including being used by God to draw His people back to Himself, for exterminating the house of Ahab, and for eradicating Baal worship in Israel.  Because he did other things with which we certainly would not agree, if he were a candidate in our generation, I’m pretty sure that there would not be many of us who would give Jehu our vote.  Yet, GOD chose him to accomplish HIS purpose!  We need to do our civic duty and vote!  But we need to keep tap on our emotions – knowing that our God is in control.

If you can get a grasp on Scripture, it could make all the difference in our thinking process.  God! – God is in control.  Even if it seems so wrong to us, God has a plan.  When things went horribly wrong in Joseph’s, Job’s, Paul’s lives, and in our lives – they couldn’t – and we can’t see the ends, much less the means, God has the correct narrative.  We need to look for His perspective the best we can – and when we can’t, we need to trust Him.  I think a better approach for us as the Presidential election day nears is to pray.  Pray that ‘God’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’.  Pray Romans 13.1 – pray for our leaders.  Pray that we will relinquish our anger, bitterness, cryptic spirits and tongues and realize as in the story of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of our Lord, nothing happens by accident.  God is in control!