Hope For America’s Future

The Presidential election of 2008 was determined by a popular vote margin of 52% to 46%. The winner would have been different if just 3% of the voters had voted differently. So, today, on November 5, about half of the country is celebrating and the other half is not celebrating. I am not celebrating, but I am not despondent either. I believe there is great hope for America’s future if we put our hope in the right place.

Some have put their hope in a man who was not elected yesterday and their hope is gone. Others have put their hope in a man who was elected and they will be disappointed.

Psalm 146:3-6 (NIV) Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

Hope for your future, hope for America’s future can only be found in the Lord our God. He is the creator of all and He holds the lives of all men, from President to pauper in His hand.

Since our hope for the future is found in God, then that hope can only become a reality in America through the church of Jesus Christ. As the church grows in number and in understanding of a biblical worldview, her influence in America will increase. According to the Gallup poll, weekly church attenders voted overwhelmingly for the losing presidential candidate, whereas those who seldom or never attend church voted overwhelmingly for the winning presidential candidate in 2008. The implications are clear. A well informed Bible-believing church will always vote for the candidate whose decisions are most based on biblical principles. The blessing of a democracy is that in four years, we will have another opportunity to vote for president.

Finally, the Bible instructs us to pray for our leaders, whether we agree with their policies or not. God is perfectly capable of accomplishing good things through leaders who do not understand His ways.

Proverbs 21:1 (NIV) The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

The direction of the leader’s heart is dependent on the prayers of God’s people in the church.

So, on this day after the election, there is cause for great hope. Not in a man, but in a great God and the church that He leads. Be encouraged, follow God’s direction in your life and church and you will be blessed.