"If [candidate X] wins in November, I'm moving to [usually New Zealand, Switzerland or Canada]."
I have heard people say things like this a number of times. I understand the point they are trying to make, but the thing that bothers me is that often times, it is fellow Christians saying these things. This "hell in a hand basket" mentality has no place in a believer's life and I believe we need to do everything we can to avoid this kind of thinking. Criticism, bitterness and worry are not things of God but for some reason, it seems like we become OK with them around election time. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he wrote, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Am I building anyone up when I criticize the various candidates? I’m not saying that we all need to pretend to agree on every issue, I am simply saying that we must be careful when we speak or post our opinions about others.
There is a misconception that our next president must be godly in order to turn away the wrath of God in store for us for departing from Biblical principles. There is a belief that if (Candidate X) is elected, he or she will “right the ship” so to speak and restore the United States to its former “Christian-ness.” I do not agree with this thinking. I personally believe a significant contributor to America’s moral decay is the church, not the state. Take the issue of fatherlessness, for example. According to the fatherless generation, 63 percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes, five times the average.
Eighty-five percent of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. Seventy-five percent of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes – 10 times the average. As you can see, the effects are far-reaching, and I believe a good amount of responsibility falls on the shoulders of the church. The church, not the state, has failed to challenge, disciple and equip men for their adult life. The result of this is the raising up of a generation of “boys who can shave,” as Mark Driskoll says. These people don’t have an example of what a “real man” looks like, which leads to a society whose men are apathetic, passive and selfish, wanting to receive much more than they give. This is a problem, and the solution lies not in the hands of our next president, but in the hands of the local church.
Similarly, many people believe that our next president needs to bring revival to the United States. Would I love to see the nation repent of wickedness and turn to Jesus? Absolutely. However, it is not the president’s job to “bring us back,” it is our job. Revival starts with us. I have repeatedly heard people ask God to send a revival to America, which is great. But we can’t idly sit around, we have to act. God works through our action, so let’s get moving. We see an example of this in Isaiah 6. God asks Isaiah, “Who will go for me”? Isaiah responds by saying, “Here am I, send me.” Are we willing to be sent into our workplaces, schools or the nations or do we want God to send someone else to do it? I know for me, it is very easy to pray that God would send other people to do hard things instead of offering myself like Isaiah. The awakening many Christians seek doesn’t start with the next president; it starts with citizens of heaven living out the Gospel.
No matter what happens in November, we can find joy and encouragement in the fact that God placed [candidate X] in the Oval Office for a reason and that he will use him or her for His ultimate glory. We can rest in the fact that God is sovereign over everything (including elections) and will continue to work things together for our good and His glory.
