Put Not Your Trust in Princes

Politics...I'm sure this one word conjures up different feelings in each one of us, feelings perhaps of disgust, frustration, apathy, passion and others. It is hard to avoid the topic these days as we have just finished two weeks jammed packed with speakers from both sides of the fence speaking on behalf of their candidate and their causes and issues. (I'm exhausted from staying up past 11:00 pm for the past four weeks with the Olympics for two weeks and then the DNC and the RNC following!) I know that the next two months will be even more jammed packed with it as the debates are coming and the candidates will increase their attacks against one another in hopes of proving their ability to lead our country.

I am also so tired of people putting so much stock into what these candidates can do for us. We can get so caught up in the whole hooplah and battle that occurs between the two sides and so sure that our candidate is "the one" who will deliver this country from its troubles. (I am just as guilty of this as the next person.) I am trying to remind myself in the midst of this that one or two people cannot deliver our country from its problems. Aside from the fact that the way the US government is set up, no one person can control everything, only God Himself can deliver any country from its troubles. If we look at the Bible, usually He delivers countries that are honoring Him with the way they treat the poor and oppressed and the way they respect God and obey His commands. I wonder if the same would be true today with our country. I am reminded of what God says to Israel in 2 Chronicles 7: 13-14. He says, "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Perhaps this could be true of our country...when us, God's people, believers, pull ourselves away from getting so wrapped up in our party or candidate and all the warring against one another and bad feelings we can feel towards the "other side" politically, and get on our knees and actually PRAY for change in our country, then perhaps we might see it!!

I am also reminded as I find myself caught up in the news and the battle between the two parties of Psalm 146. I believe God led me to this passage for this very time, the 2008 elections. It is Psalm 146: 3-7. It says, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry." God is ultimately the One Who controls the destinies of any and every country! Now we know that not everyone in our country shares this view, and that is why I feel that as believers, we have such a burden and a responsibility to quit getting so caught up in the rivalry politically, and start to cry out for our country and for the people in it and the leaders of it.

And while we are doing that, we also need to quit relying completely on our government to care for the poor and needy, and start getting off of our rear ends and do something to help alleviate the problem!!! The government needs our help to help those in need, and we as the church SHOULD have a burden for the poor and oppressed. If we read Amos, we see what God said He would do to His people because they became so caught up in their own "wants" and pursuit of the Israelite equivalent of the "American Dream" and began to neglect the poor and oppressed in order to get more for themselves.

Now those who know me know that I care about who is elected into office, and I have my personal reasons why I will vote for who I am going to vote for. And I fully believe that believers can vote for two different candidates and still be right with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and right before God. We all need to vote for who we believe will best lead our country and do so for the person we believe God is leading us to vote for. And like I said, that could be two differnt candidates for two different people. I just am tired of all the bickering back and forth, and getting so caught up in the "fight" for the Oval Office and in putting so much hope and stock into one candidate as the one who will deliver this country. I must not forget that it is God Who determines the fate of our country and every country in this world; and I must not forget my role in praying hard for the people in this country as well as the leaders, getting off of my rear end and start to serve those who are in need and get my focus off of me and onto God and others, and to vote for the candidate I feel will best lead our country (with a clean conscience before God, and knowing that my candidate is not necessarily the right choice for my fellow brother or sister in Christ).

Goals and Dreams

God is so good and so faithful. The past few months have been stretching for me. God has been speaking to my heart in subtle and not so subtle ways, for which I am so grateful. I have been challenged in part by a couple of books I've read and with some of our Sunday School lessons at church. One book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, has completely changed the way I see life and the purpose of it. My life as a follower of Christ exists to follow His lead and serve others, love others, and die to my self interests, not to pursue the American Dream. This is the responsibility of the church as well, and the church in America struggles with this as we can be so inwardly focused and so conditioned to follow the American Dream. The other book I read was called The Irrestistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. This book caused me to wrestle with some deeply personal stuff related to my life as a middle class mother in a middle class church. This book was all about our role as followers of Christ in helping the poor. While I disagree with some of Shane's ideas about how this plays out, such as certain social activist ideas that he has and his ideas for a socialist community, his ideas that the suburbs are evil, his anti-war views, and also his idea that as believers it is our primary responsibility to eradicate poverty (I believe that as believers it is our primary responsibilty to share the love of God with everyone we come into contact with, both rich and poor, and of course that includes helping people in need), he definitely challenged me to look for ways to help the poor and underpriviledged and oppressed in my community and the world.

After studying the book of Joel and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) in Sunday School, right after reading these books, it only compounded this drive that God has placed in me to find ways to help poor and oppressed people. God has a heart for poor and oppressed people, and it is our responsibilty as "wealthy" people to do what we can to help. And not just because we feel like we have to, but because God calls us to live a selfless life and to serve and love others, and in so doing, not just help them with their needs, but also to share His selfless love with them. I am finding myself wanting my life to count for something other than chasing the American Dream. That is not what God has called me to. I am to spend my life on Him, and use my life to serve Him and do something that honors Him and makes a differnce for Him in the lives of people. I believe He is passionate about people, and that is what I want to be passionate about as well. I don't want to waste my life on myself. As my kids get older and get into school, and I find myself with a bit more time during the day, I want to do things that have meaning, not just get a job to make more money for us to spend on stuff that has no true meaning. How can I use my life to help those in need who need to know His love in tangible ways? How can I share His love with others?

Our country and culture focuses so much on achieving the American Dream. We are told by politicians (on both sides of the fence), school teachers, college professors and others, that we deserve the American Dream, and that is what very American needs and deserves and should be striving for. Sure, that sounds great, but as a Christian, I am first a Child of God before I am an American, and my life is not my own anymore...I've been bought with a price, and I want my life to count for more than pursuing my self interests. I have not been called to go after the American Dream. I've been called to follow the Holy Spirit's lead wherever He takes me, even if it is counter-cultural and even makes no common sense to those I know.

I want to spend my life on my Savior and my God.

In the words of the band Switchfoot:

This ain't my American Dream
I want to live and die for bigger things
I'm tired of fighting for just me
This ain't my American Dream

In the words of a repsected politician: Serve a cause greater than yourself.