Not Hopeful for Any President

It is clear that this blog is no fan of Barak Obama, especially for president. In my estimation, his blatant disregard for the unborn disqualifies him out of hand. But it looks as though I am going to have get used to saying "Commander and Chief Obama." In light of what seems inevitable, Denny Burk wrote dejectedly this morning:

After Obama wins the presidency, he will almost certainly have the opportunity to appoint 2 to 3 Supreme Court Justices—Justices that will prolong the pro-choice majority that currently rules the court. So it appears that the immoral regime of Roe v. Wade—a regime that has presided over the deaths of 50 million babies since 1973—will continue for the foreseeable future.

We won’t see many opportunities in our lifetime to shift the majority of the Court on this issue. I’m sad to say that it looks like we’ll miss this one.

He is right. Legalized genocide won't end now or in the near future. But I am not as dejected as he is. My prayer for all Christians is that when they vote, for McCain or Obama, that they don't do so hopefully. In truth, we should all vote with some sense of loss. There is no man or woman that will satisfy our longing for a savior. Of course, only hope in Christ will satisfy us.

I have been thinking a lot this season on Jesus and his view of politics/governments. He thought passively of it. "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's," Jesus said (Matthew 22:21). The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus. How can you serve both God and man? they asked. His answer points us beyond hope in a world that is deteriorating. He points beyond men and institutions to himself, to God. And Paul makes this even clearer in Romans 13, one of the most encouraging passages in the Bible in times like these: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God,"(13:1). God is sovereign over everything in this political season. Every speech, debate, talking points. Every vote and voter. We must remind ourselves of the end game: God will be glorified through all of this.

Our voting experiences should therefore be mixed. Though we will all be called to vote our consciences, all of the options should leave us unsatisfied. In truth, we should grieve over the imperfection. And that dissatisfaction at imperfection should right us, it should turn us to Christ who oversees all. He is our hope. Not John, not Barak, Jesus.