November 4, 2020

We were supposed to wake up this morning with the millions of yard signs gone, Covid-19 gone, and election hype gone. Instead, as of the time of this writing (9:05 AM), none of that has happened, and I am bemoaning the fact that I finally crawled into bed at 4:30 AM with no additional information to show for it.

Perhaps you’ve heard that this was supposed to be the most critical election in our history. Only time will tell about that. But as followers of Christ, I think that it is really helpful to remember something: God doesn’t look at world events and history the same way we do. Think of the book of Esther. Ahasuerus was the title of the king who history knows as Xerxes. Xerxes was the Persian king who left on a military campaign with 2,000,000 soldiers and returned with 5,000. Xerxes was on the embarrassing end of the famous battle at the Pass of Thermopylae where the Leonides and his famous 300 Spartans stopped his advance. This is one of the greatest battles in the history of the world that is not even given an honorable mention in the Bible. Why not? God’s focus on history is always on his people. Major world events have significance only inasmuch as they affect his people. Instead of giving us eyewitness accounts of the military strategies and consequences, Esther focuses more upon the faithfulness of one Jew, Mordecai. What can one person with little standing do in a land and city that is not his own? Obviously, a great deal, and beloved, that is true for you. Your faithfulness matters. You may not be at the center of world power, but more like a cog in the machine. No matter, your life and your witness is how our incredible God has chosen to reveal himself and carry out a plan greater than we could ever imagine.

By the time you read this, we may know who the next president will be. But, regardless, I would encourage you to join me in praying that the result of this election will be the advancement of the gospel, the protection of the church, and the faithfulness of God’s people. Then you may need to get a little nap.

Grace and peace,

Bob