A Response From Jeff Haymond

From time to time, I receive comments from readers. They are frequently thought provoking and well expressed. I received one such comment from Jeff Haymond this morning regarding the recent posting on abortion. Jeff's comment was so focused on the core of the issue, I'd like to list it here so it won't be overlooked:

I've been meaning to write some thoughts on this issue for awhile, but alas, life has many other priorities. So just a few quick thoughts here.

1st. God judges people in eternity, He judges nations in history. The record is complete, both covenantal nations (Israel) as well as non-covenantal (Sodom, Gomorrah, Ninevah, all the -ites). The note above should cause us to fear for our nation. We certainly deserve to be judged; we can only lay out our petition for His mercy and for a national spirit of repentance.

2nd. God selects all leaders. If Obama or McCain wins, its because God has placed him there, for whatever purpose God has in mind. The mechanism God uses to place leaders in the U.S. is through us and our votes. This suggests that we should seek to elect leaders that will honor God and lead according to His principles.

3rd. Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. Clearly we want to be a blessed nation, not a cursed nation. The election of political leaders is more of a lagging indicator of our spiritual condition (i.e., if we leave God as a nation, then we elect ungodly leaders, rather than as a Godly nation we elect ungodly leaders who lead us astray). But as all of us know, some of the candidates wish to pass social policies that will lead us further away from God as a nation. This invites God's curse.

4th and finally, Our hope is not in the political process but in a Sovereign God who shows Mercy beyond our imagination. We need to be seeking after Him continually. But he is Lord of all, to include our political process. We should actively seek to honor Him as we participate in it.