Not in This World

My candidate, if elected, will save this country, and then the world. The political views of my candidate are going to revolutionize our personal lives as well as our global standing. If you'll just vote for my candidate, every problem will be solved.

At least, that's what I tell myself during election year. "Vote for my candidate because if you do the world will be saved! But vote for the opposition and you'll doom the world forever."

Let's face it: This year, the choice seems much more dire than it has in recent elections. It appears to be a question less of the "right decision" and more of the "less wrong decision". Frankly, I don't think there is a human on this planet who could fix our world.

"On this planet."

No. No earthly leader could hope to be the solution to all our problems.

That is why we do not put our hope in earthly leaders.

 Plain and simple.


     Put not your trust in princes,
         in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
      When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
         on that very day his plans perish.

      Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
         whose hope is in the Lord his God (Psalm 146:3-5)

 

 I've been thinking about how hopeless everything feels, but then I remember that we're not supposed to be counting on fallible humans to save us...because humans cannot save themselves. That is what the Gospel is all about. That is why Jesus had to come. Because if we could save ourselves, we would not need a Savior.

 

Jesus is bringing His kingdom to earth. It is already here and growing, but it is also still to come. And until it comes, we will continue living in this fallen world. But that doesn't mean that we have to keep our hope here.

Our hope is not in this world. If you put it here, it will let you down. But history has shown us that God cares for his people, whether they are ruled by a King David or a King Ahab, whether they are commanded by Pharaoh or by Joshua, whether they are united under a king or scattered in exile.

That doesn't mean that we don't vote or try to make any impact on our nation. Even when the Israelites were in exile, God told them, 

"seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7)

 Even though we are not technically in exile, we know that this world is not our home. So we treat it like our place of exile while we wait for the kingdom to come. And we take care of it. But we do not keep our hope here.

 So don't despair at the seeming hopelessness that our world offers. It is not meant to be our source of hope. We are to put our trust in Jesus and the salvation only He can bring. This is not our home; we are meant for another world. But until that kingdom comes, we pray on behalf of the world we are given.