Psalm 146

I voted…

And I hope you did too.

The right to vote is something that we should never take for granted here in America…especially when you consider the millions of people who live in countries where those rights either don’t exist or are unfairly undermined.

Much has already been written and posted about this election, and the last thing I want to do is add to the noise.

But, I do want to say this…

As Christians, we need to be careful where we put our ultimate hope and allegiance on this earth.

The psalmist perhaps said it best in Psalm 118:8-9, when he wrote… “It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.“

There is much at stake in this election…we all know that. But, we all need to be careful that we don’t put our ultimate hope in man to remedy the ills of our nation.

God is the One who “controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.” (Daniel 2:21)

God is the One who gives authority to man to govern and places them in positions of authority to serve. (Romans 13:1 & 4)

And, God is the One who is giving us a Kingdom that is unshakeable. He is the One who will shake all of creation so that only unshakeable things will remain. (Hebrews 12:27-28)

Sadly, the magnitude of this election has made patriotic fervor and nationalism idols for many Christians.

We are putting too much of our hope in shakeable things.

And, we all need to be careful.

I am thankful to live in a country where I can vote…where my voice can be heard and counted.

But, I am even more thankful that this country is not my forever home. I am thankful along with many others who have gone before us that we are all “foreigners and nomads here on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

So, by all means, vote. I hope you did.

But, I also hope that you did so with these words from Psalm 146 in mind…

¹Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

³Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
⁴When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
⁵But joyful are those who have the God of Israel^[a] as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
⁶He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
⁷He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
⁸    The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
⁹The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.