God Has Always Had A Way!
As I write this, America is preparing to elect a new commander in chief.
As you read this, we will presumably know who that person is barring a tie in the Electoral College or a contested result of the election of 2016.
When you read this, your candidate will either have won or lost. You will either be overjoyed or under impressed.
You will either be relieved or distraught.
Or perhaps … we will all be confused.
The good news is this … God is still in control! He sits on His throne and continues to rule and reign in the affairs of mankind. Aren’t you grateful for that?!
I think about many and varied historical accounts in the Bible when the ruler who was in charge of a nation was evil, despotic and sinful.
When Pharaoh ruled during the years of Israel’s slavery, God selected a man by the name of Moses to lead and guide His people. Moses was raised in the palace, plucked from the wilderness and was chosen by God to take the children of Israel into the promises of God.
God has always had a way!
When King Ahasuerus, also known as King Xerxes, was convinced by an evil comrade to obliterate the people of God, there was a woman by the name of Esther who refused to be quiet. Queen Esther chose to fast and to pray rather than to wring her lovely hands in defeat. Queen Esther had the audacity and the wisdom to confront the evil decision of the king with a righteous alternative.
God has always had a way!
Perhaps you are familiar with the glaring cruelty of a King by the name of Nebuchadnezzar who forced all of humanity to bow to a golden statue. There were three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to worship the ghastly image and were immediately thrown into the fiery furnace by the decision of the mad king. God showed up in their fiery furnace! The fourth man walked into the blazing hot fire and protected them from any harm! Because of the bravery of these Hebrew boys, King Nebuchadnezzar then recognized the powerful and matchless God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
God has always had a way!
Under King Darius, the people of God were forbidden to pray! Daniel prayed in spite of this government injunction and spent a night with some ravenous lions. God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions and to save Daniel’s life. King Darius then wrote a decree that in his kingdom all of creation should fear and tremble the God of Daniel!
God has always had a way!
And what is God’s way? God’s way is invariably demonstrated through miracles and through the bold actions of His children.
When God combines a miracle of heavenly intervention with the noble and righteous behavior of His children alive at any given moment in time, history roars in approval!
Hungry lions … red-hot circumstances … heavy chains … unfair treatment … the slaughter of thousands … can instantly be overruled when one common man or one ordinary woman chooses to stand up for what is God-honoring.
When an Esther or a Moses is among the population, God will certainly have the final word!
When a young person with the resolve and righteousness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego decides to defy the law of the land, God will send an angel to fight on their behalf!
When a Daniel of any generation chooses to pray regardless of the political climate, even roaring lions lie down and are forced to submit to a Higher Authority!
What is God calling you to do under our new administration? Certainly we are all called to pray, just like the hero Daniel did. We must pray when everyone else has thrown in the towel of frustration. We must get on our knees and call out to the God of Daniel to intervene in the affairs of mankind!
But perhaps God is calling you to a bold stance of righteous behavior as well! Like Esther, are you called to confront an evil decision? Are you called to fast and then to stand in the gap for the lives of the innocent?
Will you stand up for God when your culture is bowing to the lesser gods of a generation? Will you preach in the marketplace and in the school system? Will you give a clear and audacious representation of your faith when others mock and scorn your decision?
Someday, when you and I enter eternity, we will look into the beautiful eyes of Esther and we will walk the streets of gold with a man by the name of Moses. We will worship with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and we will hear the resounding voice of Daniel. When I meet those heroes and that heroine of the faith, I want to be able to say to them that I did my part at my moment in history!
I long to affirm with the saints of the ages that during the early days of the 21st Century there were bold, unwavering men and women of God who worshipped without shame and who stood strong for the cause of Christ.
What is God calling you to do? You, my friend, are part of God’s miraculous way. You are a strategic force at this moment in history and it is up to you and to me to tell the story of God with no embarrassment and with no hesitation.
I don’t know yet who will be living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the next four years, but what I do know is that there is an army of men and women who are armed with the power of God and with the wisdom of His throne! We will bow to no king but to King Jesus! Our voices will be heard as a generation who chose to worship, to pray and to concur with the righteousness of God.
God has always … in every generation … during every ruler and under every administration … had a Way!
