Learning the Hard Way

Once upon a time many centuries ago there was a group of people who were singled out to be blessed by God.  They did nothing to earn this honor, they were just chosen to be blessed.  There was one big stipulation for this special group; that they follow only the One True God and not any other fake gods.  Sometimes they pulled this off and amazing timely rescues came to them. (Read Genesis and Exodus.) Then they began listening to other people among them who created and worshiped the fake gods. They neglected their relationship with God and gradually, they drifted away from the God who loved and blessed them so.  

God patiently sent them messenger after messenger to warn them what would happen if they continued to turn away from him. They not only didn’t listen to the messengers, but often persecuted them. They had the gift of free choice and they chose to worship the gods that they could create and control. It wasn’t long until, just as predicted by the messengers, this group lost everything to invaders. Many lost their lives, some were persecuted by the foreigners and some were taken captive.  Their beautiful place of worship dedicated to the One True God was raided and destroyed. During this time period, their Holy city was occupied and claimed by different invaders. After years of persecution and loss, God’s people came to regret their betrayal. 

Ezekiel 6:13 NIV

[13] And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak---places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.

This may seem like a harsh lesson, but I did not go into the depths of their depravity or the lengths God took to try to warn them. Humanity is stubborn, and most often, both individually and as a group, we learn the hard way. A small remaining group of this nation saw their error in worshiping idols and turned back to the God who they betrayed. 

This is where the point of my story begins. The foreign King at that time, Cyrus, made the decision to rebuild the temple for this remnant of survivors who decided once again to worship God. Not only did he allow the rebuilding of the temple, he returned the booty that was taken from them many years prior.  King Cyrus did not do this because he believed in God.  In fact, he acted like he revered every god. He liked to cover his bases so he tried to appease them all. As the story goes, the process of rebuilding the Temple took many years and evil men tried to stop it but still God’s will prevailed. 

Ezra 6:14 NIV

[14] So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

This story showed how God worked through non-believing leaders to carry out his plan. While reading this story on the 4th of July, it occurred to me that we Christians in the USA get worried about electing a non-believer to a position of power.  Honestly, I have often voted based solely on the religious persuasion of a candidate and not on his ability to lead or his position on the issues.  I did not research, I voted with my “gut”. But I was wrong. I forgot that God is in control and he is capable of using anyone to accomplish his will. 

So since God is in control should we do anything about our leaders?  I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that lazy, mindless dependence is promoted.  Time after time God gives his people the ability and they have the choice whether to use it. So yes, I believe we as Christians are expected to act justly. (See Micah 6:8) Here are some points to consider. 

1. In the USA we are given a unique privilege to have a say in our leadership. It is a gift, so we should be wise with it. My New International Version of the Bible contains 187 verses referring to wisdom. God has always expected us to choose wisdom. We are not born wise, we must learn.  And that takes effort. We should do some work to research our future leaders, and not just from one point of view. We need to seek information from reliable sources with an open mind. 
2. And as a friend of mine pointed out in a tweet recently, don’t get entertainment confused with factual information. Today’s cable and network news is created to captivate and hold an audience hostage. To hold our attention, they must create drama rather than telling the factual truth that may be a little dry and boring.  That is how they make money. I have found some written news organizations to be more reliable sources of information because they do not appeal to our drama addictions.
3. Take your right to vote seriously. Voting is power. If you have never voted before and are nervous about it, find a buddy to go with you to the polls. 
4. Pray for your leaders especially if they are not doing what you like.  They will answer to God whether they like it or not.  And remember, like King Cyrus, God uses all, (D) and (R), to accomplish his purpose. 
5. Now that you have done your part, relax and trust God to do his thing even if you can’t see it.