Elections are certainly necessary and important … like dental surgery sometimes is. Dental procedures, however, don’t last for months. During political campaigns, as we’re relentlessly bombarded with robo-calls, tacky TV ads and mountains of junk mail, all we can do is mentally bite down on a stick and wait for it to end.
When the votes are finally counted next week (we hope), some of us will be jubilant, some will be distraught, and nearly all will be glad it’s over.
As you might guess, I’m pretty good at opining, and I confess it’s been a challenge not to let my political leanings leak out onto this newspaper space I’ve been graciously granted. It’s been hard to leave the public politicking to others and, as the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:2, to set my mind (and my writing) on things above.
The truth that has helped me stay in my writing lane is this: my real hope isn’t based on who wins elections, or in anything in this world, but on the character and Word of God. As the prophet Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Jesus plainly told us His kingdom isn’t of this world (John 18:36). That truth was later affirmed by the Apostle Paul: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ … ” (Philippians 3:20). Although our feet are temporarily planted here, where politicians and pandemics come and go, our real hope is in the world to come.
Paul also wrote, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Lasting joy and peace are by-products of faith, which produces an abundant hope that has nothing to do with election results.
I was out tromping around our woods the other day and as I walked, I listened to a podcast that that gave me a big injection of Vitamin H (hope). The podcaster described what he called the “grand reversal” that is coming one day when God does away with this broken world and replaces it with a brand-spankin’ new one.
He offered several contrasts drawn from the books of Genesis and Revelation. Here are just a few …
In Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth; in Revelation God creates a new heaven and earth.
In Genesis, God created the night; in the eternal state, there will no longer be any night.
In Genesis, humans succumbed to the temptations of Satan; in Revelation, Satan is ultimately, eternally quarantined, away from the people of God, and redeemed humans are forever free from sin.
In Genesis, when humans sinned, a curse was pronounced by God and paradise was lost; on the new earth, there will be no more curse and paradise will be gloriously restored.
In Genesis, tears, death and mourning became part of human existence; in the eternal state, there will be no more tears, death or mourning for those who accepted the salvation God offered through His Son, Jesus.
To sum it up, Revelation 21:5 says, “He who sits on the throne says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new … .’”
I want my favorite candidates to win next week, but deep down I know the thing that really matters is that at the end of all things, God absolutely will win. And if we trust Him, we’ll win, too. THAT is the hope that endures.