The Sovereignty of God or man?

By: American Decency Staff

The 2016 presidential election will go down in history for having two terrible candidates – neither of whom could ever have won a race against a good candidate – who had the good fortune (for them) to run against each other.

2016 has left very few voters asking who the better candidate is, but many making pro/con lists to ascertain who would be worse.

That is a sad place to be for Americans, and particularly for American Christians, who must face – for the first time – a choice between two candidates when neither one touts a sincere Judeo-Christian faith that informs their principles.

No matter who wins, this election is the end of an era for the “religious right.”

If Hillary Clinton wins, Christians’ religious freedom will come under attack like never before. Should Donald Trump win – with the help of evangelicals – we will have proven that we will vote for literally anyone so long as the Republican Party can make the case that the other candidate is worse. Which is something the Republican Party will always be able to do. This will dismantle any illusion of power that the “moral majority” has maintained.

Lastly, if we vote third party, we will likely have at least partial blame for either of these outcomes forced upon our shoulders. After all, we will have “thrown away” our vote.

American Christians are cornered.

But what happened this weekend, on the anniversary of not only the attacks on the World Trade Center, but the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and the personnel charged with protecting him, ought to be a reminder to God’s people of Who is actually in the driver’s seat of this election.

On the anniversary of her most consequential scandal – the lack of concern and security for the United States ambassador to Benghazi and the failure to act decisively to save American personnel – former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered a dramatic medical episode.

Reports say that she left the memorial service for the victims of the 9/11 attack in New York early and passed out as she neared the motorcade, relying on aids and Secret Service agents to get her into the vehicle.

Clinton’s medical problem – whether it’s the pnemonia her campaign claims or something more disqualifying as her opponents suggest – should serve as a reminder that God is still in control of this election.

The Bible is full of records of the Lord God inserting Himself into the politics of the nations, from calling great men like Moses and Daniel to lead his people to the prophets explaining that it was God who had sent the armies of Israel’s enemies as a punishment, to turn His people back towards Himself.

Hillary’s health problems help bring in to focus that either candidate is one act of God away from being out of the race.

Every night my family prays that God would give His people wisdom as we vote in this election, and that He would give us a president who would lead us towards repentance.

As unlikely as that seems when we look at the political landscape, it’s not ultimately up to us. It’s up to Him.

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