Man Votes, God Decides
In Daniel 2:21, there is a verse of scripture that always encourages me during the election season. Daniel was in prayer concerning the interpretation of a dream for the king of Babylon. When the secret was revealed, Daniel blessed the Lord and, standing before the king, made this declaration:
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Read that verse again slowly. God sets up rulers over nations, and He removes rulers over nations. Like it or not, God’s hand is at work in every situation, which includes choosing our nation’s leaders. You can, and you should vote, but God ultimately decides. Does that mean that God always approves of a leader or their actions? No, it doesn’t. But God does exercise control over nations according to His counsels, and He doesn’t ask for our permission or approval in doing so.
We don’t live in a time of kings and empires as in times past, but this scripture still holds true. Man can pull the voting lever, but God decides the outcome. God sets up one elected leader and removes another. Regardless of what we think of the electoral process, it is God who is in charge. Christians can get very nasty in their comments about politicians they disagree with but let’s be reminded of what Paul said in the book of Romans:
[Rom 13:2 KJV] 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Paul’s statement above should temper your attitude where government is concerned. When you rail against a leader, you are railing against the God that put him or her in that position. Whether you agree with an elected leader or not, you have to decide whether you agree with God’s word. No scripture says Satan puts leaders in power over nations. God reigns in sovereignty over the nations, and we should, as good citizens, always exercise our responsibility to vote. In the end, however, you must humble yourself down to the fact that whoever prevails in an election regardless of the character of that election, God ultimately is in control.
I know believers who profoundly disagree with President Trump, and on the other hand, I’ve watched leaders sing his praises to the point of idolatry. What is the balance? The balance is (if you think the Bible is worth the paper it is printed on) that after Election Day, whether the person you voted for or not gets in, you have to accept that God ultimately decides and will turn that heart of that leader in the direction that He wants it to go. Our part is to vote and pray and when you pray, do so in the context of Daniel 2:21. Remember that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God first before we are citizens of our nation here on earth. Remember and choose to walk in humility, to conduct yourself with restraint, never forgetting that Jesus is the fourth man in your fire.
