I’ll vote for hope! I’ll campaign for peace! I’ll choose God!
By Dean Collins
We are just a few days into 2024, and while we probably can’t predict some of the global, national, local, or personal stories and issues we will face, we do know of a few weighing on our collective minds. The ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israel/Hamas horrors remain with no clear path to peace. And this year is the year we elect our next president.
I have a few predictions for this year’s presidential race.
1) We will be exhausted by the rhetoric and promises long before we get to the election. We may already be tired of the media obsession with the race. We will know far more than we want to know and yet have little confidence in what we think we know in the end.
2) The process of finding our next president will lead to difficult conversations and sadly will become a barrier or wedge between many friends and family members.
3) Whoever we elect will receive a very tough assignment and will never be able to deliver on all of their promises.
I could go on and on, but in the end we would simply disagree on some things and likely be more depressed than when we started the day reading this devotional.
Instead, let me say this: There is good news this year! Jesus is still alive. He is our Savior and Lord, and he is worthy of all our praise! In Psalm 146 and 147 we see many reasons to have hope, and we can gain perspective on where we can and must place our hope. We also have clear reminders concerning where we must not place our hope, no matter what the candidates tell us.
Verse 2 of Psalm 146 reminds us clearly that we are not to place our trust and hope in men or women because they cannot bring us salvation. In fact, no matter who we elect, they will serve for a few years and then fade into the background of history. He or she, like the rest of us, will die, and whatever they planned or actually accomplished while president will eventually fade away.
But our God and Savior can and will deliver on all of his promises. He isn’t campaigning for a job, and he will be true to everything he said he would do. We will be blessed as we place our focus, our worship, and our faith in the Creator. It is God who made the heavens and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. He keeps faith forever, and according to Psalm 146 he will:
• Execute justice for the oppressed
• Give food to the hungry
• Set the prisoners free
• Open the eyes of the blind
• Lift up those who are humble and bowed down
• Love the righteous
• Watch over the sojourners
• Uphold the widows and the fatherless
• Reign forever (not just four or eight years)
Psalm 147 adds even more promises:
• He heals the brokenhearted and binds their wounds
• He determines the number of stars in the sky
• He remains abundant in power
• His understanding is beyond measure
• He casts the wicked to the ground
So this year I pray we will be careful not to get caught up in what our candidates say and promise. And I’ll pray we will remember we are citizens of the kingdom of God first and our loyalty to our King Jesus will bring us life, hope, and even eternal peace and joy as we live together in unity.
When we falter and get stressed, discouraged, or too focused on politics this year, I pray we will run to the Lord and sing his praises. He will restore our sanity, give us hope, and help us focus on the things of his kingdom he has called us to do!
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 146:1-10 ; 147:3-11, 14-15 ESV
Dragon Claws photo at istockphoto.com
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