andrew dodson

While running some errands in Lexington on Saturday, I noticed a bumper sticker. It read “got hope?” (a la “got milk?”). Barack Obama’s website address was printed below the question. My first thought was, “seriously?” Are people really putting all of their hope into a politician? How bad has America become that we look for hope in a politician?

Personally, I’d much rather place my hope in God than Obama, McCain, Bush, or any other politician. We can have our preferences, and that’s great - it’s what makes America a great country. But, ultimately, God decides who will sit in the oval office, live in the governor’s mansion, and occupy an office in city hall.

Romans 13:1-2 Listen

13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Some would ask, “what if they are crazy and do evil things?” First, we should pray for them.

1 Timothy 2:2 Listen

2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Then, we need to recognize’s God’s control over the situation and know that he is working to accomplish his purposes, which are meant to be good for us. Think about the crucifixion of Christ. Regardless of what you believe, I think it’s safe that we all agree a crucifixion is brutally evil. In the case of Christ, though, God ordained the event to happen.

Acts 4:27-28 Listen

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

The ultimate good of Christ’s death on the cross was forgiveness of our sins.

The world is full of tension this day-and-age. We can all ask the question of why God would allow such evil to happen in the world? This is a deep question that can be talked about much more in depth than this post. But, we can rest assured that God is working to accomplish his purposes, which will ultimately benefit those who have placed their faith in him. That gives me much more hope than a politician can offer.

(For more on this subject, I highly recommend Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. He writes on this matter much better than I can.)