Reflections on Elections
Here are a few things to keep in mind about yesterday’s election—and elections in general. First, the outcome of any given election is not the absolute disaster that many people might be tempted to think it is. God remains sovereign over all the affairs of men, even of powerful political figures. The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the L ord ; he turns it wherever he will. Proverbs 21:1 God can prevent whatever evil or folly politicians intend to do. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. Job 5:12 Even that evil and folly which he permits them to achieve, he can turn to the good (Gen. 50:20). Second, the outcome isn’t the unrivalled blessing that others might imagine it to be. Politicians are notoriously pitiful saviors. The best of them often leave behind a trail of broken promises, dashed hopes, unfulfilled expectations, and betrayed trusts. To build one’s hopes on getting the “right”