For several months I have been doing a chronological reading of the history of the nation of Israel.  As I read through the pages of scripture I see God revealing Himself to His people and I see His people responding in various ways to Him and their culture.

One of the most pivotal moments in this history is when the People of God decide they no longer want their Theocracy (government ran by God) to continue, but would rather have a monarchy.  They want a king.  They want to do it their way and not His.  And so they get King Saul.  Turns out that Saul is not the kind of king that God would want for His people.  Although “religious”- He wasn’t a moral, upright, God-fearing man.  Instead, he was arrogant, impulsive and jealous.  His jealousy motivated many of his terrible actions.  His pride propelled him to go his own way.  This lead to trouble and destruction.  Not only for him and his family, but for the nation – the People of God.  They paid the price for the king they wanted.

In the aftermath of Super Tuesday, I fear that history is repeating itself.  Conservatives are choosing a man that is nearly a carbon copy of King Saul.  Donald Trump may be interesting to watch, but moral – he is not.  Unless the Lord intervenes, we may be heading down the same path the people of Israel traveled centuries ago and to be sure, we will have to pay a price for getting what we want.

In these perilous times it is easy to look at what is in front of us and think all may be lost.   I cringe at the thought of the leadership before us.  It makes me fearful for my children.  But I’m reminded that after Saul there came King David.  He was the best king Israel ever had.  He was a man after God’s own heart.  And God was preparing him for this role the entire time that Saul was on the throne.  Even though Saul was causing chaos, God had already set aside the man that would bring the nation back to Him and was equipping him for the task.  The man He would use to restore the nation to greatness.  The man that would lead the nation in worship of the One True God.

Without a doubt, God can intervene for us in this election.  But if He allows things to go forward as they are, that does not mean for one moment that He cannot change the direction of our future.  That does not mean that He has no plan for us.  That does not mean that all is lost.  It certainly does not mean that His hands are tied.  The chronicles of Israel reveal many stories of God using even evil kings to get His work done.

What it does mean, is that we remain faithful until out hope is realized.  It means we don’t give up on America.  It means we don’t despair.  I means we must be persistent in our prayers.  Politics are not my thing.  But praying is.  Honestly, I don’t want Clinton (check out the story of Queen Jezebel) or Trump to be President –  but whoever is next, they will need the prayers of God’s people.  If we pray for them and pray for God’s will to be done through them only a fraction of the time we spend complaining and raging about them, we might be blown away at the revealed power of God.

Photo via Visual hunt