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Isaiah 46:5-7

⁵“To whom will you compare me?
    Who is my equal?
⁶Some people pour out their silver and gold
    and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
    Then they bow down and worship it!
⁷They carry it around on their shoulders,
    and when they set it down, it stays there.
    It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
    It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.

Isaiah 46:5-7

Dear God, I love this word picture of comparing you with the idols we make for ourselves. That I make for myself.

There is a presidential debate tonight. A lot of people have made these two candidates their idols. At a minimum, they have made the defeat of one of the candidates their idol (If XX wins then everything will be terrible. XX CANNOT win!). Thinking of the gold and silver mentioned in this Isaiah passage, how many people give more money to their favored politician than you? The hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions are coming from somewhere. How many people put the bumper stickers on their cars, the flags on their houses or in their places of business (see the guy who cuts my hair who has a huge flag on the wall inside his establishment), or the signs in their yards. Do they display you as much in their lives. Do they spend as much time, or any time with you? No, we can sit and mock the Israelites for their idols, but we do the same thing. We’ve decided that the political power equals security and success. If my side wins then I will be safe and secure. Then I will be happy.

Father, I am sorry for how I allow this attitude, this idolatry, to infiltrate my own heart. Maybe it is politics. Maybe it is my kids. Maybe it is success at work. Maybe it is my marriage. I start to think that the happy heart is found in these things instead of in you. I can be happy if my kids love me in this way. I can be happy if this or that happens at work. If my political candidate wins. If my wife does this, that, or the other. But it is all foolishness. You are the only thing that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I already have it way better than I deserve. So I submit myself to you and worship you today. In this moment. You are my God. I reject the other gods that offer me false promises and empty rhetoric.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

Praying through Politics

07 Sep

No verse

Dear God, I woke up this morning feeling unsettled and it’s probably my own fault. For the last two-plus years I have found myself drawn to our nation’s political situation like a moth to a flame. I think it started with the Republican convention in August 2016. I was off work that week, and I spent way too much time reading the political news. After it was over, I felt almost like a person with a recovering alcoholic that had just fallen off the wagon and gone on a bender. I realized that, although it might have felt good in the moment, at the end of the day I was no better off and I hadn’t changed the world around me for the better either.

So I’ve tried to have this policy since then of limiting my media consumption, but over the last 48 hours I allowed myself to dive into my figurative bottle of Jack Daniels and have a grand old time. The news cycles, after all, have been remarkable. So I’ve read excerpts from books and editorials. It was all fascinating stuff, and the history books that will be written of this period in our country will bring even more intrigue. Some might wonder how we ever survived this period.

So what do I do with all of this. Do I allow it to harden my heart, put me deeper into my trench, and stoke my anger at those with whom I disagree? Do I yell at people on social media, make snide comments with my coworkers, and put a hateful bumper sticker on my car? Do I just keep reading more and more, filling my soul with the opinions of others instead of with your peace? The answer to all of these is probably no.

Father, what I’m left with is that I need to let this motivate me to really beseech your favor, grace, and provision for our country and this world. I need all three branches of our government to be good and submitted to you. I need our state and local governments to be submitted to you and directed by you. I need your influence in the world. I need your influence in Washington. I need to first bring myself into your presence to worship you. I need you to use me in the small piece of the world where you’ve placed me. Love through me. Care for others through me. Bring your presence into our community through me. And as far as our current national politics, I pray that you will please be with every person in the executive branch and guide them. Holy Spirit, rain down upon the president and everyone in his administration. Help us, as Christians, to take our eyes off of the idols we have created for ourselves. Whether we are Republicans and we have looked to the President and the Supreme Court as our providers, or we are Democrats and we have looked to the minority in Congress and the press to do our bidding, help us to put all of that aside and strongly pursue you. For those in power, help them to seek you in their decision making and to do the right thing. And with that, I leave it in your hands and will get about the work you have put before me today.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

1 Comment

Posted by John D. Willome on September 7, 2018 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

Tags: Congress, Democrats, Politics, President, Republicans, Supreme Court