National elections are approaching. Friends, family, and neighbors are at odds. Results may be contested. What a time! Between exaggerated statements and votes, it is difficult to see a path toward an era of hope and peace.
What happens after November 5th?For people of faith, this day is much like November 4th. Please pray. love. trust.
Friends, we can pray, we can love, and we can trust. What God says will happen will happen.
pray. Maybe you don't know how to pray. Everything seems so confusing, so angry, so exhausted. Here are two topics to consider in your conversations with God.
Let's elevate our country. We are a family with much common history and an important future. Humble us to God, listen to us, and heal us. It may seem like a waste, but remember: Power does not reside in the person praying. It is in the God who hears.
And let's ask God to help our neighbors, and let that help begin with us. Pray for compassion for the single mother at work across the hall or for those holed up in a nursing home. Pray for hope for those still recovering from the storm, whether its name is Helen or Milton, divorce or chronic illness. May God bring the healing balm of hope.
And pray for your neighbors with whom you disagree. Yes, even the people who make you angry. The easiest way to put out the fire of anger is to put a prayer in the bucket. Pray instead of blaming. Jesus did this. While being hung on the cross, he interceded for his enemies: “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”
We are never more like Jesus than when we pray for others, those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree. Please pray for this hurting world. God cares about everything.
love. Now, love isn't exactly a synonym today. Yes, there is controversy. Anxiety, for sure. Fear, our eternal companion. But love seems to be in short supply.
Let's check the source. This world of uncertainty is no place for solid love. Instead, let us look to a merciful God whose love never fails. Governments will fail, but God's love will endure. Crowns are temporary, but love is eternal. Your money will be gone, but his love will never be.
Let God love you. Then ask them to help you share that love with others. Now, stop for a moment and make a list of three people you can quietly, simply, and unconditionally show love to today. I promise that the love you give will return to you in unexpected ways and the hope meter in your heart will rise like the morning sun.
trust. It's tough, I understand. There are so many unknowns, and even what we do know is worrying. These are difficult times with challenges at home and abroad. Leadership is important. But regardless of whether your preferred candidate occupies the White House or not, we can know that God is in charge who is in charge. The proverb says: That the heart of a king is like a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He directs it where he pleases.
Why not look up and change your mind? By focusing on the promise of the afterlife, we can confront the problems of this world. The future is not so scary if you know the future. And if we know who is controlling it, we can know the future.
One of my favorite sermon books includes the story of a missionary and his son. They migrated from England to Central Africa with four other adults. Three of them died. As his father's health began to deteriorate, he decided to return to England. He and his son spent many days hopping around Africa in a broken-down old wagon. Once on the coast, they set out for England by sea. Within hours, they encountered a severe storm. The waves and wind combined to make the sound of cannon fire, and the ship swayed from bow to stern. During a lull in the storm, the father held his son to keep him warm.
The boy asked, “Dad, when will we have a house that doesn't shake?''
I can't vouch for that story. This book has no sources listed. But I can almost guarantee you that question. I asked. you asked that. We have all felt that the world is full of hardship and trembling, and have asked, “God, when will we have a house that won't shake?”
His answer? “Soon, dear child. Almost soon.”
Even though this world is turned upside down, it will one day be made right. Those who are rejected in this world will be respected in the next life. During this time, they were enslaved and sold. Then they will rule and reign. During this time, they had disabilities and illnesses. In the next age they will serve in perfected and glorified bodies.
This sounds like heaven. This sounds like the perfect ending. This sounds like a grand conclusion to God's story.
Friends, we can pray, we can love, and we can trust. What God says will happen will happen.
