Does God Vote?

Tis the season for politics and commercials, and commercials, and commercials and ……commercials.  Most of them contain some grain of truth but like supermarket tabloids, stretch the truth into incredulity.  But we endure them until the first Tuesday in November.  By the way, to my NY friends who read this blog, there are not nearly as many candidate signs on the grass here as there are in NY.  For those of you in PA, by now, the “Vote for…..” signs that are stuck in the grass are literally so numerous in NY  that they look like dandelions in the Spring.   But here in PA, I hardly see any at all.  It is sort of refreshing.  Anyway…what does God think about all this political stuff….does God vote?

Probably the most definitive statement about politics is found in Romans 13, part of my reading for today.  Here is verse 1:  13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  According to this verse, God doesn’t vote, He decides.  There has never been a representative, a governor, or a president…not even a school board member that has surprised God.  Paul goes on to talk about our need to submit to the government, unless of course that government requires us to do something in opposition to God.  But my point this morning is more along the lines of “why does God appoint men and women who are so obviously against what His word stands for?”  If all the authorities who exist are appointed by God, then why do God’s appointed leaders often care so little about Him?  This verse must be especially interesting to followers of Jesus, then and now, who face regular persecution from their government for following Jesus Christ.  How could a believer in China or Saudi Arabia not be puzzled, at least on the surface, as to why God would appoint leaders so anti-Christian?

I don’t claim to know the full answer to this but I think the main part of the answer lies in the fact that God allows His creation to make choices which can benefit or harm themselves.  That is what free-will is all about.  In His sovereignty God knows everything at all time and can step in at any time and alter human choice, but He usually does not do that.  The leaders that we elect or who are chosen for us, are still under God’s ultimate authority, but God rarely steps in and supernaturally intervenes, even in the lives of the really ungodly ones.  Perhaps this is because God can use the wicked to show His glory?  God is not that concerned with the politics of the United States or any other land for that matter.  What God is concerned about is seeing people become followers of His Son, Jesus Christ.  And His followers need to trust that God is in control, regardless of who wins at the ballot box or who is crowned king.  We win no matter what because God wins.  I’m not advocating that followers of Jesus stay out of the political process.  I would argue that we should be involved and involved to the extent that you feel God is leading you.  But whether your candidate wins or loses, you’ve still won if you’ve followed God.

No, God doesn’t vote…He decides.  We can rejoice in His decision, no matter who He appoints.

I vote for a good day today, how about you?