In the Hands of God

June 8, 2013

For the first time in eight years, we're welcoming a new man to take a place in the White House. As we always do on inauguration day, the nation is stirring. Everyone has questions on their mind about what the next four or even eight years will hold. This year, those with "immigrant" fresh in their family history are scared. Those with "democrat" on their voter registration card are livid. And, a select few, which must actually be some kind of a majority, are celebrating.

The privilege and ability to vote are comforting. The knowledge that for all her problems, America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave makes us bold. The fact that we can come and go as we please and still have a place waiting for us to pick up where we left off makes adventurers and world travelers out of so many of us. We look back on our history as a nation and we're proud. Different people frown over different eras, but by and large, we don't feel that we have much to be ashamed of.

Whatever the history books are being re-written to declare, this nation has been in the hands of God since the beginning of time. The land has been tended by Him. The tides have washed our shores, people have been scattered on the soil, and animals have roamed for generations before this land even had a name. God knew. All a long He knew what would happen here. He knew when and how the Gospel would come. He knew that some would be driven by greed and that much blood would be shed. He knew that He would raise up a generation of men to get something really good started. And He knew that within a few short generations the legacy of faith would fail to be passed on. He had mercy and sent His Spirit out to stir up revival after revival. He knew that, like Israel and Peter and countless saints before them, the cycle of needing to be taught by Him would repeat itself yet again. Nothing catches Him by surprise. Nothing is outside of His good plans to advance His glory and make for Himself a people who are called by His name.

America is but a small piece in the story He is telling. It's a story of redemption and mercy and promise. It's a story that shows people all over the globe who He is. It's a story that illustrates His love for His people and His dedication to the covenants He has made with them. For a reason few of us even care to comprehend, He raised this nation up. He has filled it with prosperity and opportunity. He has granted us poverty and oppression. He continues working in the hearts of many teaching them to labor right alongside of Him. Generation after generation has had front runners so concerned with justice that they have been willing to fight in wars, spend hours writing speeches, give their own money, engage in heated meetings, march with others in protest, be imprisoned, and in many cases, give up their own lives. I'm talking about people like George and Martha Washington and John Adams and Harriet Tubman and Booker T. Washington and Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.. I'm talking about the housewives that sent their sons and husbands to battle. I'm talking about the men who have worked blue collar jobs for 40+ years to make a living for the families they have dedicated themselves to. I'm talking about preachers and missionaries who have labored hard and long to bring the truth to anyone who will listen. I'm talking about people who were concerned with what was right, not because they were after power or privilege but because they saw what was right and they could not rest until they had done their part.

With insight comes responsibility. Our actions always impact more people than we can ever imagine. For every front runner, we've had an even greater number of people set on rocking the boat. Not for the cause of justice. Not in the name of what is right. Instead, these people are out to push the limits, to question everything, to get something they feel they are owed. God knows these people too. He knows what is in their hearts and He knows the lengths they will go to get what they came for. He has allowed them victory and defeat and He has given them over to their desires. Perhaps every generation has said it, but it seems as though there are a lot more people willing to stand up for what is wrong than there are making a difference for what is right.

We have a new president today, but the same people are waking up in our country and pulling out of their driveways and going about their daily lives. The same God is telling the same story that He's been telling since time began. America, we have a responsibility to each other and to Him. We all want America to be great again. It's time that we ask God just exactly what that means. It's time that we submit ourselves to Him. It's time that we begin to honor what He honors and love what He loves. It's time that we stand together as a people united in integrity. It's time that we acknowledge the hands that made us. Our only hope is to be taught by Him.

We'll mark the events of this day in our records. We'll remember what it felt like to usher in another new president. We'll take the next few months to talk about the last eight years and to make projections about what we think will happen in the days to come. As we do, there is one thing we must remember, this nation and the hearts of its rulers are in the hands of God.

This nation will always be in His hands.