Eza 6:22b the Lord ... had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel. (ESV)
Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king 's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." Rom 13:1b further reminds us that "there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." I sometimes wonder whether the influence of the Moral Majority and the political effectiveness of the religious right in the 80's and 90's hasn't had a long term negative impact on the church. Has it caused evangelical Christians to so tie our hopes and dreams to political maneuvering that when politicians no longer listen to us we lose hope?
I regularly hear political conservatives bemoan the condition of our country. I hear expressions of fear and anxiety. I hear longing for a simpler, safer time. I hear the people of God who claim to believe in a sovereign God talking, fretting and acting as though the leftist politicians have more power than God. Perhaps the most incredible truth of the book of Ezra is that we find the Sovereign Lord influencing and moving the politics and politicians of Ezra's day to accomplish the purposes of God.
Maybe, rather than bemoaning the the powerful machinations of politicians with whom we do not agree, we should be asking why God is allowing these decisions to be made. Maybe we should reevaluate our attitudes, fears anxieties and hopes in light of a God who is truly sovereign. Maybe we should relax just a little and accept the truth that God is always in control and no nefarious individual or political plot can undermine nor usurp his authority. Maybe we need to learn to trust God again.
Father, that is easier said than done, but today may I rest in your steadfast love and faithful sovereignty.
By His grace,
Rick Weinert
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