Vote As If

I believe very strongly that this year's election is for more about the future direction of the American church than which set of professional politicians command the White House and Congress for the next term. To be sure, this election will have long-term consequences for our nation no matter who is elected, and I feel rather sorry for whoever it will be, because they will inherit a bitter mess. But as I study Scripture, there is a constant message that God is in total control of the fate of leaders and nations, and that it is the constant job of His people to especially put their trust in Him during these times. Now is the time to trust God particularly, rather than to fret or to put nationalism higher than God until November 8.

I think of books like Isaiah, which we are currently studying, and Daniel, which we studied earlier this year. In both cases, God's people were subject to leaders far worse than any we currently have on the ballot. Yet, these leaders were put in place by God on purpose because He was doing something greater than merely putting in place the best "church-going politician" for a term.

Likewise, I believe God has allowed us to come to this point, to this choice, for a purpose that is more about the Church than for what goes on inside the Beltway. Perhaps He did so in order to correct something wrong with the Church. We may speculate that He's punishing our nation for something, but what if He's shaking up the Church instead?

If I'm right in this theory, God is (as He has so often done in the past) moving national events in order to position the future of His people, for blessing or for discipline (and more likely, for both). I'm not saying that Isaiah and Daniel are prophecies about 21st Century United States. Rather, I don't believe God stopped moving leaders and nations in order to accomplish His goals for His people, so His ways revealed then still help us navigate events now.

In those cases, God persistently commanded His people to trust Him, to not trust in the flesh or in leaders or in armies, and to not fear, even if the situation got much, much worse. He has a plan that He's carrying out according to His sovereign will, so above all, remain faithful. Don't give into fear, sin, or pragmatism. Worry about faithfulness above all and then trust God to accomplish His plan.

This election cycle has exposed some very unhealthy relationships between the Church and the State, such as a misplaced reliance on government to be the lord and savior of our nation on the one hand, and a misguided demonization of all those within the government on the other. It has exposed an ugly underbelly of the  "ungracious religious" who discard Christlike behavior in order to promote their politics (which Left or Right, they claim is God's favorite brand of politics). It has also exposed how many in the Church choose which of a candidate's sins to highlight and which ones to ignore based only on their party preference. Great hypocrisies of the Church have been laid bare, and I, for one, am glad the disease has finally been brought to light. Only then can the Church be healed of it.

We have too long embraced Constantinianism, which seeks to force the affairs of the State by the power of the Church (which is not the same thing as redemptive influence). We have also bought into an unhealthy dualism that separates the sacred from the secular, allowing us to discard one in order to concentrate on the other, and then on the next day, switch. Oddly, these twin problems seem contradictory (too much integration vs. not enough integration), but they are actually the same failing to understand what a healthy integration looks like.

But books like Isaiah and Daniel insist that we trust God even more fervently during days such as these, because God is in total control. If that's actually true, then there is no need to compromise, cut corners, fudge, or be confused about how we should hold both the Church and the State in our hands.

So vote "as if." Vote (or not vote) as if we actually do trust that God is in total control. That doesn't mean to vote for whoever is the "most Christian" (good luck figuring that one out). It doesn't mean to vote for whoever is from the "correct party" (God isn't a card-carrying member of any of them). Nor does it mean to throw up your hands and say, "whatever - God will sort it out."

Rather, it means to carefully consider your vote as if God is in fact in total control. Like Isaiah and Daniel, trusting His complete sovereignty allows you to stand before Jesus and say, "I didn't have to compromise Your values in order to be 'pragmatic'." Don't vote your conscience - vote His, as best you can. Of course every vote will be for someone who is not Jesus, someone who is broken, fallen, imperfect, sinful, and holding some policies that are abhorrent to Him. Of course! But He's got this - He's the One who put Nebuchadnezzar in power over the Israelites! We don't have the luxury of a clearly moral and wise candidate this time around (or almost every other time around, to be honest). There's no need to pretend that we do.

God has given us this situation on purpose, and He expects His children to honor Him with how they trust Him in the midst of it. Vote as if God is always intentional in everything, including allowing our nation to come to this point, perhaps even for the purpose of correcting the Church. Vote (or not vote) so that you can tell Jesus you didn't compromise, even though there were no options except disappointing ones. He's not only faced this situation before, He's manufactured them before.

And please, back off of those who vote for the same reasons for a different candidate. This is no easy choice, and God is still sovereign. Lastly, don't be fatigued by all this - rather, seize the opportunity God has given us to trust Him in the midst of political disarray. If we can't trust Him now, we can't trust Him ever.

Resume to Presume to Assume

If I assume that everyone is out to get me, and you innocently ask, “What are you up to?”, I will conclude you’re trying to find a way to accuse me of something wrong.

If I assume that today is going to be rotten and I hit a normal red light, I’ll mutter under my breath, “See? I told you so!”

If I assume that you have the best intentions, then when you make a mistake, I’m very likely to shrug it off.

What we assume has a strong influence on how we interpret what we see and the decisions we make. That’s not a groundbreaking conclusion. Consider, though, that what we assume about God will have huge implications on how we interpret what He does, what happens throughout the day, what opportunities are ahead of us, and so on. Assumptions matter theologically to our daily, mundane, “secular” lives.

Not just what we believe about God, but what we assume about God. What we believe may be a theological truth we accept or a deeply held belief that rumbles in our soul. What we assume is what we take for granted before the evidence is in, what we expect to happen and what we expect it to mean. Without a strong argument to the contrary, what we assume will be what we eventually conclude.

It’s like the instant replay rule in football. The initial call is our assumption, the replay is the evidence, and unless there is irrefutable evidence to overturn, the initial call will stand even if it’s wrong. Assumptions change outcomes.

Take God’s sovereignty. If we assume that His sovereignty doesn’t extend to the work that we do, the place where we live, the people that we know, and the strengths that we have, then we’ll make several conclusions. We’ll conclude that where we live is effectively random, and therefore our neighbors are random (not sovereignly placed in our lives). Our jobs are our jobs to do with whatever we please, as long as we give God some attention and work ethically. Our abilities are either a roll of the dice or just what we happened to develop.

But if we assume that God’s sovereignty is very extensive (but not necessarily deterministic), then we will conclude very differently about the very same aspects of life. Our lives aren’t random and our neighbors are people God intends for us to be near and even interact with, specifically. Our gifts are sovereignly appointed and therefore our lives have a particular place in a larger scheme. Our calls are to something more than being decent people. Yes, our lives could easily be different, but they’re not.

My assumption will influence my conclusion without irrefutable evidence, even if I’m wrong. So, I need to think carefully about my assumptions, especially my assumptions about God.

Experiment a little. Take a week to hold a different assumption about the sovereignty of God and see how that flavors your own interpretation of your week, your work, the people you meet, and the abilities you’ve been given. How will you end up reading your week differently?

What’s your assumption on the sovereignty of God? Not just your belief, but your assumption?