After the election...

So I woke up this morning with a myriad of emotions. I felt kind of numb, but my mind was in overdrive. What now? What about finances? With the reelection of our president is my faith going to be under attack? What about my children, what about their future? These are the thoughts and feelings that flooded my mind. It might seem like I'm defaulting to the possibility of negative results, but it's hard not to. The moral compass of our country has changed so much. It reminds me of the story in the bible when Israel asked Samuel for a King (1 Samuel 8). That might not seem like a bad thing, they wanted leadership, they wanted an advocate, someone to help them. However, the word clearly states that the people wanted to be like other nations. Samuel was concerned so he went to the Lord. He asked God what to do. God replied, they are not rejecting you Samuel, they are rejecting me (vs 7). So God told Samuel to give them what they wanted. Samuel was instructed by God to warn the people, to tell them all that a king would demand. The people refused to listen, they wanted to be like other nations and so as God told Samuel, he granted their request. In America, we are given the freedom to vote, to choose our leadership. God was being gracious to the Israelites, although they were rejecting Him as their king, He allowed them to have their own way. God has been gracious to our country. For hundreds of years we have chosen our leadership. At times we have chosen our leadership based on moral values and conviction. At times we have chosen based on selfish desires and personal agendas. In every decision, God has allowed it. The pulse of our country is evident in the voting. Its not that God is not in control, its that He is allowing us to be in control, as He did Israel. Unfortunately, we have not chosen Him. We have not allowed Him to be our king. This goes way beyond President Obama or Governor Romney or any previous president. This comes down to our own hearts. We have turned our backs on God. Yes, our founding fathers were in many ways God-fearing men, their desire was that we have religious freedom, take personal responsibility, be able to fight tyranny, However that heart has been deluded now for years. People find it easier to blame God then to seek God. They find it easier to take God out of the equation them keep Him in it. Unfortunately, the longer our country locks God out, the farther we will stray from where we once were. My husband said something to me this morning that actually gave me a lot of hope. He said "Erica, the gospel has survived the fall of many nations." And although that seems scary and foreboding, it is true. Every empire, no matter what the persecution that has come and no matter the destruction, the Gospel has remained. Why is that, because Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. No weapon formed against Him shall prosper. No persecution will destroy His message. I am encouraged to stand strong in my faith, not to back down, to seek to live a life of holiness, and to pray for revival in my nation. So today, no matter how you feel about the results of the election, I would encourage you to seek the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the master, He knows all things. He is the Prince of Peace. Make Jesus the King of your heart, in the end that is what stands.