The election is over. Some people are happy that their candidate won. Others are not happy, because their candidate lost. What should a person do if his/her candidate lost the election? The Bible gives us four ways Christians should react to the leaders in government, even if they did not vote for them.
First, remember
God is in control, not the government.
During His trial, Jesus told Pilate, “You could have
no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” (John
19:11, NKJV) After His
resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18, NKJV) God is the sovereign king of the universe. He is in control. God places people in positions of power
and removes them at His pleasure.
Instead of fretting about who is in office, trust in God’s sovereign
plan.
Second, pray for
our leaders. No matter who is in
office, we should pray for them. The
Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, his protégé and ministry partner, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who
are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and reverence.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV)
We must remember that Paul wrote those words while Nero was the Emperor
of Rome, who persecuted Christians.
Even if the person who is in office is a bad leader, we should pray for
them anyway – pray that God would change their heart and make them a good
leader. If the person who is in
office is good, pray they stay that way.
Third, obey our
leaders. The Apostle Paul wrote
these words to the Christians in Rome:
Let every soul be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities
that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority
resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on
themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want
to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from
the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be
afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be
subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because
of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually
to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are
due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1-7, NKJV)
Ouch! In other words, we must obey our
leaders, even those we do not like or deem worthy, for three reasons: 1. God
put them there. 2. You will risk
the wrath of God and the leaders if you don’t. 3. You must obey them to have a clear conscience. There is only ONE exception to this
rule in the scripture, found in Acts chapter 5. That chapter records the interaction of the Apostles with
the Sanhedrin. When the Sanhedrin
commanded the Apostles to stop preaching about Jesus they replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29, NKJV) If the authorities tell you to do something
contrary to God’s commands, you are not obligated to obey. God’s commands outweigh the commands of
men. Otherwise, we are
commanded by God to obey our leaders.
Fourth, honor
our leaders. Once again, Apostle
Paul told the Romans to give honor to those to whom it is due. (Romans
13:7) Also, Peter, the same man
who defied the Sanhedrin, wrote, “Honor all people. Love
the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17, NKJV) We are not to be churlish and rude to
our leaders, even those with whom we disagree. Instead, we are to show respect to them, as we should to all
people. Honor and respect are
sorely lacking in our society today.
To dishonor our leaders is, ultimately, to dishonor God. How can we claim to be a good Christian
when we act with contempt toward others?
How can we talk of God’s grace, when we do not extend grace to
others? A bad attitude ruins our
witness.
So your candidate lost...what now? Remember God is in control. Pray for your leaders. Obey your leaders. Honor your leaders.
So your candidate lost...what now? Remember God is in control. Pray for your leaders. Obey your leaders. Honor your leaders.
