As I was scrolling mindlessly through my Facebook feed, I came across yet another post about the election. "Eh, why not? I've read a million already; I might as well read this one." I am so glad I did. Amongst the usual "This is why I am upset" rhetoric, there was one gem that I found to be incredibly insightful:

Theologically, God is NOT in control - He is sovereign. And though all things happen according to His will, this should not be misconstrued to mean that all things that happen are the things He wants.

You see, there is a massive difference between God being in control and God being all powerful (which, by the way, is the definition of sovereign). There are many people walking around right now saying "Don't worry. God is in control. There's no need to be concerned about the future of our country." This is not true.

I believe with all of my heart that God will provide for me. I also believe with all of my heart that God gives us the freedom to choose. There's not some divine PS4 controller that God uses to orchestrate what happens on this earth. He is not going to just step in and fix all of the mistakes we have made. When has He ever done that before? Did He stop the recession before it happened? Did He stop riots from happening in the 1950's because of desegregation? No. We made those choices and had to deal with the consequences of them.

I have a great hope that lies in the Lord and His Kingdom.

I am incredibly concerned about the future of this country.

Both can and should be true.

If He so chose, God could control every minute detail of this country. He knows that control is not what is best for His creation. He gives us power and freedom and choice; we misuse them and have to live with the consequences.

I had a discussion with a friend the other day that goes right along with this. As someone who will be greatly affected by the changes looming over America, my friend has had many people say something like "I'll pray for you." Here's the deal: prayer is not enough. Asking God to give us peace is not enough. We need to be willing to help God bring peace. It is up to us to make a change. We need to be on the forefront of justice. We need to be the first to offer love.

The choice has been made. There is nothing I can do about it. There is nothing you can do about it. But you can stop telling me that God is in control because God is not going to control this country like a puppet on a string.

My hope and faith is in Jesus Christ above all else. Nothing will change that. I will still fight every day of my life for equality, love, and justice to prevail in this world. I will not give in to fear, hate, or violence. I will not expect God to solve the problems of this country. I will walk with Him as I do my best to stand up for what is good, beautiful, and true.