Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)

In five days, the Presidential election will occur and we will find out which sinner in need of grace will be the next leader of our country. If you’ve been following this election closely, as I have, you likely are struggling to understand how it is that in a country our size, we seem to be incapable of finding any candidates more trustworthy or respectable than the two before us.

But, depending on your standing with the Lord, you ought to be able to take some comfort from Paul’s words here about the government. No authority can exist apart from God’s will. And for those of us who belong to the Lord, we can take comfort in knowing that, even if these leaders we dread come in to power, their power can reach only as far as the Lord allows. Our God is infinitely more powerful and infinitely more loving than any politician ever could be. He sees and knows each of us as an individual, but He also sees and knows our country.

God has used leaders in the past to both judge and bless a country and only He knows the future of our country under its next leader. But for the Christian, while we must submit on some level to the government God allows, we can rest knowing that the true authority belongs to Christ and Him only.

It can be easy to get caught up in the political drama, to panic about the future of our country’s laws, taxes and morality, but when we panic, we are forgetting Who is truly in control. I love the lyrics of “In Christ Alone.” The first verse says, “In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid ground firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.”

Regardless of who is elected President next week, we have to remember that our hope ought to be in Christ and Christ alone. Not in the Republican, Democrat or Independent party. Not in a candidate or a court. In Christ alone can we have solid ground, heights of love and depths of peace. The last line of that verse stood out to me today: When strivings cease. We have to stop striving to find the king or leader that we think will make all things right. He already exists and He is already on the throne. We just have to stop striving and kneel before the King of kings of Lord of lords and worship Him for all that He is and all that He gives.

I realize this is a bit lengthy but as I read it this morning I couldn’t help but feel it needed to be shared and pondered. What a great reminder, especially right now when all hope seems lost, remember, in Christ alone, amen.

Have a wonderful day in The Lord!

Today’s Reading is Romans 8:38-39