Thank You, Lord, for Election 2016

Posted on by Lydia Borengasser

When I learned who was running for President this election, I laughed. Then I cried.

I trudged through the debates and deluge of opinions and struggled to think differently than ever before about an election. Because this was a very different election.

Then I “just happened” to read a certain few chapters of Isaiah. No, they weren’t written for Election 2016. Yes, they appear to be uncannily parallel. Either way, we can learn from them today.

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord. 31:1

I worked my way through those chapters repeatedly and prayed the church in America would heed the warnings of years gone by.

I learned so much from that exercise, a surprising thankfulness began to spring up in my heart. I couldn’t believe myself. I was becoming thankful for Election 2016.

I realize it’s post-Election Day, and you don’t actually need to read another election article. You’ve probably clicked on a few hundred by now, and no doubt your brain was spinning after number one. Like Christmas music after Christmas Day, it’s time to move on.

That’s okay – you can leave if you like. What remains is simply a mini-journal of thankfulness that I intentionally scheduled to be published the morning after Election Day. As I write, I have no idea what the election results are. Because, no matter what, I choose to say, “Thank you, Lord.”

thank-you-lord-for-election-2016

Thank you, Lord, for Election 2016 . . . for you have taught us about sin. And corruption. And selfishness. And lies. And petty childishness. We learned what it’s like to choose between blatant sinner and blatant sinner. We sat with mouths gaping and watched professional politicians throw temper tantrums on public television. Sin didn’t look pretty this go round. We didn’t have to question whether or not to be appalled. At a glance, we could discern wickedness and weep in disgust.

Thank you, Lord, for Election 2016 . . . for you left us running to your Word for help. You pressed us into those “respect the governing authorities” passages, because, otherwise, we might have assumed those didn’t apply anymore. You challenged our place as strangers and exiles and sent us through the mental agony of a chaotic and depressing political scene to test our readiness for battle. You made us eager for our homeland.

Thank you, Lord, for Election 2016 . . . for you have reminded us of your holiness, your justice, your sovereignty, your kingship, your rule, your reign, your power, your glory. A thousand times a day we have groped for those realities and held onto them for dear life. They have so sustained us, our thankfulness seems small. The fact that you are our God in the midst of all of this leaves us utterly stunned by your grace and truly overwhelmed by your lasting and abiding peace.

Thank you, Lord, for Election 2016 . . . for in complete and utter weakness and desperation, we have found that the only refuge we have is you.

The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high. He will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The Lord is our judge. The Lord is our lawgiver. The Lord is our king. He will save us. 33:5,6,22

 [image credit: unsplash.com]

25 thoughts on “Thank You, Lord, for Election 2016”

  2. Oh my, amen! Yes! This election pulled me to question everything I had ever believed about politics, I mean literally even questioning the legitimacy of it, coming to terms with the fact one day we or our future generations really will elect in THE anti Christ into power and how I will answer to God if I am blinded and vote in a way that brings about that, it called me to question my role in this world that I am told I am not of, if my biblical convictions given to me by the Holy Spirit could or even should be lorded over a lost and fallen world who do not have such convictions and if it should be enforced do I go against loved ones, family members and my own husband to exercise such a stance? It called me to question EVERYTHING, no longer applauding sermons, biblical teachers or admirable leaders, I gripped my Bible and let the Lord be my Shepard and came out with a 180 belief of all I thought I knew. There is peace with the decisions I made in choosing whether or not to vote or who I would or wouldnt support and I feel at rest only because this year caused me to run to the THRONE instead of finding a familiar flow and rolling with it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Melissa, I’m so glad you said all this. This was what I hoped this election cycle would bring about – Christians questioning these very things. I hated this election cycle on a human level, but I can thank the Lord with joy in knowing that some of my fellow believers have at last turned their faces away from *American* Christianity and politics and are now looking to the Lord and His word alone for their leading.

      We are supposed to be strangers and pilgrims in this world. We should be ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20 kjv – not sure of others), and good ambassadors do not spend their time trying to fix the politics or social structure of the place they live – they are there to represent their nation and their leader, which is heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ for us. In doing this we will be salt, our Father in heaven will be glorified, and we will preach the gospel as our King commanded us. This is a far cry from forcing our personal convictions upon a sinful world that is incapable of living for God until they have been born of God’s Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ and can walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

      My burden at present is what will American Christians in general do and how will we respond if/when certain groups are targeted unjustly for persecution and “conservatism” is brought in with an iron fist? Has the American church imagined itself to be persecuted and victimized for so long that it will stand by and agree or be silent while others are persecuted? How will it respond if/when those who have been claimed to be “good” use the same evil methods to enforce their ideals that the opposition used in enforcing theirs? If it’s wrong for those, it is wrong for these. Ultimately it is impossible to enforce morality with laws and government interference. Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. If God’s own law couldn’t bring life and righteousness, then certainly man-made American law can’t!

      2 Timothy 1:9-10 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. I agree heartily. There are many lessons to be learned from this election and will continue to be. We tend to learn more from difficulty and adversity than from ease; it can bring out the worst and the best in us, individually and collectively. We are all challenged to be discerning, thoughtful, and careful of what we think and what we say.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Lydia, I stopped by via the #DancingWithJesus Linkup It’s funny but my post right after yours is about the election too. I’m from Canada, but we’re pretty on top of American politics here. My heart was grieved for your nation and how it would affect our Continent. I too am thankful for the election now. I can see that God is using it to draw His people into prayer for the nations. In the US and in Canada. That should make for great days ahead if we continue to pray as 2 Chronicles 7:14 promises.
    ~Sherry Stahl
    xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Last week I received a letter from Chip Ingram with a poignant reminder: Our hope is not in who gets elected, our hope is in the Lord alone! It was a much needed reminder. Now that elections are over, we need to remember that our hope alone is in the Lord!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Hi, I’m your neighbour at Inspire Me Monday.

    I’d like to add another thankfulness bullet point –

    I’m thankful for a process that made me realize that the good and bad in these candidates is mirrored in my own life and soul. They are public sinners because they are public figures, but the fact that my sins are private gives me no foundation for criticism of character – only of competence for the job, which is as it should be.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Thank you so much for this post, Lydia. It was really refreshing after some of the other things I’ve seen and heard before and since the election. Thank God that He is “a very present help in trouble.” Ps. 46:1

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. We prayed much for America and this election, and now comes the hard part – – to continue to pray for our leaders for understanding, wisdom, and protection. May the cabinet and staff that is being selected bring wise council. A great many “prophets” have prophesied that our New President would be the one chosen, and that God would use him. President elect sent a text to James Robinson, thanking him for leading him in the salvation prayer to receive Jesus. (Now he is a baby) and will need more help. Several ministers have laid hands on him and prayed that God would bless and guide him. We as Christians must not let down our guard, but continue in prayer. Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Well, personally, I strongly hesitate to say our new President-elect is a Christian. I talk to people every week who claim Christianity and/or have “prayed a prayer,” but it quickly becomes obvious when they expound on their “salvation experience,” that they don’t know the most basic points of the gospel. It also becomes clear, as I see the fruit of their lives, that they have no intention of submitting themselves to Christ. But, ultimately, God is Judge. Therefore, I do not assume that President-elect Trump is a Christian, or that he is not. I only pray that he knows Christ and is transformed by the gospel. Thanks, Hazel, for your thoughts.

      Like

      Reply

  15. I’ve been in Hebrews 11 and looked at the people God choose to use. Many of them did not meet my standards for a leader. Samson?? Deceitful Jacob? Isaac thought he was blessing a different son the first time he blessed Jacob. This election has caused me to pray more and lean more on God. Our hope is not in a person. As I read in Judges, when God’s people groaned He raised up a deliverer. May our new president humble himself to realize he reports to God and is accountable for his actions.

    Like

    Reply

  16. Thanks for this, Lydia. It did drive us to our knees…and there we must stay. Maybe this is what God has wanted all along 😉 My daily reading was taking me through these same passages leading up to the election. {Visiting today from #RaRaLinkup where we’re neighbors.}

    Like

    Reply

  18. God is able to use anyone for His purposes. But we as believers must remember that whether we agree with our leaders (president, congress, state, local etc) we are under obligation to pray for those in authority over us. Now is not a time to stop our prayers, but continue lifting them up fervently.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Comment