Fellow Christ followers, for the last five years our nation, the United States of America, has been embroiled in an intense political battle. Some of us have only witnessed it, while others have actively participated as lawyers and politicians. Each of us is called by God to fulfill certain responsibilities in this life.
We are strangers in a strange land. Heaven is our eternal home, but we are in this life and this nation for a God ordained purpose. Sometimes, that purpose feels mundane or ordinary, but the life of a child of God is never mundane or ordinary. Jeremiah 29: 11 tells us that God has a plan for each of our lives. Isaiah 55:9 says that God’s ways are higher than our ways.
As God’s children, we need to seek his face and discover how he wants us to face the battles of each day. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us, “there is no new thing under the sun.” Political rivalry has been going on since mankind formed its first community, and rivalry for power and pre-eminence are a core part of the Adamic nature.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is the battle we should be fighting, fellow Christ followers. Let those who are called and skilled to do so fight in the courts and government office fulfill their assignment. But, the rest of us must do battle in the spirit.
While some will do their part in the natural, those not tasked to do that must support them in the spirit. We should pray for God’s angels to protect those on the front line. Then we need to pray for our nation. Pray that all people will repent and turn from their wicked ways, as scripture tells us in II Chronicles 7:14 so that God will hear our prayers and heal our land.
Also, pray for peace in our land so that we may have peace. That is what God told the people in Jeremiah 29:7. Although they were exiled and we are not, our nation is in great turmoil. We have had political warfare, racial unrest, rioting, and a global pandemic. We need peace in our land more than ever before.
The events this past year did not catch God off guard. Just as God saved Nineveh when they repented after Jonah warned them (Jonah 3), and countless other times God delivered Israel throughout the Old Testament, God can deliver us and heal our land. But only if we repent and turn from our evil ways (II Chronicles 7:14).
While we are studying God’s word, and praying for the healing and deliverance of our nation, there is one other thing we should consider. I believe, and many others also believe, that we are in the last days. The return of Jesus Christ for his church is imminent, meaning worldwide turmoil is expected.
If we look at Jesus’ years of ministry, we see that the people of that day wanted him to overthrow the Roman government and become their king. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and has no need to rule a country or a planet. When we pray, we must remember that God is not focused on just the USA. God has an eternal focus. We need to pray for God’s will, God’s wisdom, God’s direction, and God’s protection no matter what we see in the natural. Let us, fellow Christ followers, keep our focus on God’s plan and not our own. For if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
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