So another election year has rolled around. I won’t tell you how many times I’ve lived through these every-four-year elections. Too much changes with the passing of time and looking back to what was doesn’t change what is.
I’m about to release a book, ironically on Super Tuesday, that could fall into the category of biblically political mainly because Esther stood up in a political situation at a time when she was the only one who could. She spoke out for those who had no voice and risked her life to save her people.
We can take her example many different ways and apply it to our most sincerely held political beliefs. But if we do so, we should remember one thing Esther had that seems pretty lacking in the leaders of our day.
She possessed great humility.
Esther knew she could die just for approaching the king (her husband) unannounced. But she did so because a greater issue was at stake than her personal safety. So she humbled herself before the king and in a carefully planned way, presented her case to him.
I rather doubt she would have succeeded if she’d gone to him with a haughty look or bold demands. If she’d considered her role as queen to be something she had earned and therefore had the right to say whatever she wished to her husband, the king, the story would likely have ended very differently.
And I think that difference in what she did or could have done points to one of the reasons I don’t enjoy these every-four-year election campaigns. It’s not that I don’t think we should have the ability to elect new leaders often, it’s just the way we go about it. I have yet to see a debate or an ad or a media comment that carried the tone of humility.
Would we be drawn to a humble leader?
Would we even listen to what they had to say?
I don’t know. I see a lot of argumentative pride coming from all sides, as if the louder they shout or the more money they spend or the more they promise somehow makes them more electable. As if any one politician can fix all the wrongs in the world. Not one of those presidents I’ve lived through has ever fixed our nation or the world. How can they? They are human. And humans can’t control even half of the things they think they can.
I wish we could see, even in our Christian circles, that politics will never unify us. Flawed humans make promises they can’t keep. And all of the rhetoric and posturing will never bridge the great divide on those issues that matter most to us—whether we agree or share those same feelings or not. One side will always be angry or disappointed. How can it be any other way?
Like I said at the beginning, I’ve seen a lot of elections through the years, lived through many presidents and other public officials. I’ve watched policies change one way only to be overturned years later. I’ve seen politicians take a stand on this or that issue only to change their mind years later. If their values change with the culture, how do we know they won’t change them again once they are in power?
Last thought. The only one who can fix our land and who doesn’t change is God. He is the only one who always keeps his promises, never offers false rhetoric, and is truly just. But then, He alone has the ability and power to see through each one of us, what we believe, where we stand on everything, and whether our hearts are proud or humble.
I don’t know about you, but I have failed to pray as I should for those who would rule over us. God is the one who “sets up kings and takes them down” (Daniel 2:20-22) but we as His people need to pray for those He will choose. Whether we will agree or disagree with the outcome in November 2020, if we only vote and never pray and ask God to bless this land, to unify our hearts and seek His face, we will have no business complaining. Many don’t take prayer seriously, but God does. And while I really don’t enjoy politics, I know our leaders—on all sides of the aisle—need our prayers. Like Esther, who humbled herself before the king and saved her people, we need to humble ourselves before our God and pray He will save our people too.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could come to the table without any agenda and pray together? To invite God into the conversation and then listen – to discuss the things that divide us?
But maybe I ask too much. Still, I will ponder and I will pray. It is the best I can do.
#starofpersia #esther #politicsandprayer #humility #prayforourleaders
