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Saturday, November 10, 2012

God Help Americans


Much has been writen in the post-mortems on the 2012 General election in which Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney. Here are some of my favorite online articles and quotes about the results of the United States Presidential Election in 2012 that speak to Christians. You may find them encouraging in putting things into perspective and giving some thoughts for going forward. I am happy to be in unity with much (but of coure not all) of what is being said by this group of Christian writers and leaders who have put love, peace, sharing one's faith, prayer, honoring the President, and proceeding with their faith's work at the forefront of their reaction. 

Billy Graham Responds to Obama Victory with New Evangelism Campaign by Stoyan Zaimov at The Christian Post
Now with the votes counted, it is important to remember that whether we are personally pleased with the outcome or not, God wants us to pray for those chosen to be our leaders – at the national, state, and local levels. The Bible urges us to do so with both respect and thanksgiving (see 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1–3)--Billy Graham.


My 'Foolish' Reaction to President Obama's Re-Election by Jim Daly at Christian Post.
But here is a fact, the most important calling of my life - and yours - continues.
It may feel like everything has changed and that the way forward has been dashed. But the reality is quite the opposite.

A Prayer for Our President by Kevin DeYoung at Deyoung, Restless, Reformed blog.
Our good, gracious, and sovereign God, we pray for the President of the United States.

Aftermath: Lessons from the 2012 Election by Dr. Albert Mohler at albertmohler.com.
We should eagerly and urgently pray for our President. We should pray for his health and his family, for his stamina and his character. We should even pray that he and his administration will be remembered as one of the greatest of our nation’s history, measured even by the convictions that are most important to us.

Christians, Lets Honor the President by Dr. Russell Moore at Moore to the Point blog.
Christians, above all people, should pray for and show respect for our President and all of our elected officials. After all, unlike those who see politics as ultimate, we recognize that our political structures are important, but temporal, before an inbreaking kingdom of Christ. We don’t then need to be fomented into the kind of faux outrage that passes for much of contemporary political discourse. And, unlike those who see history as impersonal or capricious, we see behind everything a God who is sovereign over his universe.

Five Christian Responses to the 2012 Election by Rick Phillips at Reformation 21 blog.
I would urge that alarm over the moral catastrophe of this recent election should be expressed not in the Christian political posture but in the way actual Christians relate to the culture and to non-Christian people we know.

Goodbye, Christian America; Hello, True Christianity by Richard Stearns at Huffington Post.
Instead, we need to go back to the basics of living as disciples of Christ, living missionally for Christ and demonstrating the Gospel in tangible ways within our schools, workplaces and communities.  

The People Have Spoken, What Should Christians Do Now? by Ed Stetzer at Lifeway Research
blog.
Once the election was "called," I prayed for the President again. I asked God to guide him and give him wisdom as I will continue to do for the next four years.

Our country faces some tremendous challenges socially, economically and in foreign affairs. We may disagree on how we would rank the issues and what role we can have in making a difference after our votes have been cast, but we unite around the truth that our Father is the Creator of the Universe and ultimtely nothing will happen without his sovereign hand permitting it. And that includes the results of the election on Nov. 6, 2012 election.

More than ever we need to pray for the political leaders who are given the power and responsibility to lead our country.  It is inevitable that a crisis will happen in the next four years. We need to pray for our leadership as they navigate rough waters ahead. However, we need to realize that our leaders are only human and neither 4 repeat years of Obama or 4 new years of Romney would have turned either man into superman.

Elections have consequences and let's hope that for the Christian the consequence is a revival to live our faith with a determination of the song that said, "I have decided to follow Jesus, though no one join me, still I will follow."  As much as I love America, my hope is in God alone and not dependent on the greatness or even future existence of America. In that light I can live at peace with changing my prayer from "God Bless America" to "God Help Americans".