It is my presumption that most Americans do not really understand the laws and systems set in place that uphold our country. The laws that protect them. The systems that keep order intact. I’m not talking about the constitution and the federal government so much as the state laws that govern our small individual worlds. I’ve lived in Texas for 10 years and I couldn’t tell you our governor’s name, any senator’s name, any judge or county mayor. I try to live by the laws of the land and to live my life according to Biblical principles, but have never had any interest in politics and a “jargon” that seems too overwhelming to comprehend. I have not tried to nor felt compelled to beyond coming to a confident decision on who I want to vote for President every four years.

This year something shifted.

I do not live full of fear or anxiety about the future. I do not hang my hopes and dreams on who we have as President.  I do, however, have a lot of high concerns and a fear of the Lord, due to the decisions that the our leaders are making, that God’s hand of protection and favor cannot stay on our country unless some things majorly change. Do I think that rests primarily on our President? No. Do I think because a tiny bit more than half of our country elected the current president that if the scales had tipped a tiny bit the other way, we would all be safe from problems? No. The position of President was never set up to be a fix-all, be-all-savior for our country. The uproar of backlash that occurs around every presidential election only proves how far we’ve gotten from believing God’s in charge, not a man. That would be what the Israelites did all throughout the old testament. They asked a prophet to go to God for them, then they asked God for a king to lead them. Instead of going to God for themselves, maintaining a close relationship to the heart of God and His laws, they wanted someone else to do it for them. They wanted to blame things on someone else and not take responsibility themselves. They wanted to go about their daily lives thinking only of their small-sphere daily routines, rather than take their God-given authority over the land God had given them. Sound familiar?

Over the last couple days I’ve read the massive amounts of posts by friends on Facebook and their disappointment and frustration in the results of the presidency. I’ve read their appall at where our country is headed if a little over half of their fellow Americans would re-elect OBama as President. I’ve read the intense hate comments on both sides of the pole against other people and their convictions. I have only read a couple of posts that actually tell people to just start praying for our current President-urging others to try respect and patriotism rather than negative, fear-invoking, anxiety and death-giving speech. Just like the trial last week where I was a juror and all of the negative speculation that was going on in deliberating over sentencing a man who had already been convicted twice, I stand firm on the simple fact that we cannot speculate and speak negatively on things that have not happened. We cannot presume, believe or hope the worst! We cannot assume simply because of past records that people cannot change. We cannot give up hope that people can change. As a believer, I hold fast to the grace, mercy and life-changing redemptive power that Jesus came to bring. That no one is beyond His reach. I hope in the truth of God’s word that “where darkness abounds, grace much more!”  If we as believers give up hope that God can and is still doing this-no matter the person, no matter the circumstance-then we cease to be walking in agreement with the heart of God and are actually walking in opposition to Him and what He is doing.

God made a promise long, long ago that He will use ALL things for our good (Romans 8:28) if we humble ourselves and pray (2 Chron. 7:14) and seek Him first (Matt. 6:33). What makes us think this situation is any different?

As I woke up Wednesday morning, the day after election, I felt a heaviness. It surprised me. I don’t think of myself as incredibly political or even understanding a ton about our political system (I wish I was more), but I felt a heaviness as I went about my morning routine. As I sat down for my morning quiet time, I began to ask the Lord what it was about. As I closed my eyes to listen I was surprised a second time by the picture that flashed into my mind. Up above my head I saw what looked like a huge stage. I then saw a huge army walking toward the edge of the stage, geared for battle. Thousands and thousands. I immediately knew they were angels in Heaven. Their gender was not specific, nor did they look like earthly soldiers, but I saw swords on their sides and though I didn’t really notice their clothing in detail, they were dressed in light colored material. As they marched forward and stepped up to the edge of the stage all of a sudden one row at a time took flight. As I opened my eyes I immediately thought of part of a Bible verse, something about “putting tens of thousands to flight…” So I searched for it and here it is:

Leviticus 26:8 says this, “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.”

Then I heard God say, “At the prayers of thousands this morning, I have put tens of thousands of my warring angels to flight.” At that, the heaviness I’d felt lifted and peace rushed in. As I read that entire chapter I couldn’t believe the relevancy it had to our country today, but what really came to mind was how if believers across this country had gotten the president they wanted, would they pray as earnestly as they do now? Or would they sit back, take a big sigh of relief and settle back into their complacent lives? I imagine thousands upon thousands of believers woke up just like I did, feeling a heaviness about the direction of our country and began to pray. I believe God sent thousands of warring angels to flight that morning in response to those prayers. He will use this for good as He always does.

I whole-heartedly believe that believers cannot sit back wanting safe and nice lives and not participate in taking ownership for our country-our God-given inherited promised land. We cannot passively vote every four years while in between those four years not participate at all in getting educated and playing a part of owning our land. What does that mean? What does that look like for you and for me? For all of us it should mean we actively pray for our government and ask God how He wants to use us in our towns, cities, governments, etc. For a few it will stop there. For others it means getting educated and spreading the awareness of what it means to simply be faithful with what God has given us. You cannot separate being a Christian and being a citizen of this country-it’s a direct correlation of being a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven-WE MUST PARTICIPATE, we must be active and vigilant.  We cannot use the excuse that our lives are too busy and there’s already too much on our own plates to worry about the affairs of Washington. Isn’t that exactly what Satan does–he distracts us, keeps us preoccupied with a million other things, blinded to the bigger picture, overwhelming our minds with lies that we can’t understand even if we tried, convincing us that one voice doesn’t matter and we can’t make a difference.

I’m not debating who would make the best President. I’m not debating the direction of our country. I am urging you to believe for the best. To speak and declare the best is yet to come. To pray often for our country and our leaders. To not live blindly, but believe that no matter who is leading our country it does not excuse us from actively participating in the responsibility for this country. I’m urging you to shift your perspective to believe for the impossible and pray accordingly.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. –Edmund Burke