Kings

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. Daniel 2:21 NIV

The Old Testament can be a difficult book to read. In it are many stories of violence and wars. Some Israelite kings are concerned for their people but others aren’t.  How can it be that God is sovereign over the rulers of the world if some of them are so bad?  I think sometimes God uses our rulers to discipline us even as he uses good rulers to bless us. It is in our nature to be rebellious and selfish, and those characteristics can lead us down many paths away from God. We don’t always realize the ways in which Satan is ensnaring us or preparing us for destruction. Sometimes God has to figuratively slap us to get us to pay attention and see things as they really are. God is always going to bless us, Satan will always try to destroy us. Satan  masquerades as an angel of light and very often deceives us.  He is after all the father of all lies and his biggest, most persistent lie is that God does not want what is best for us.

Hard as it can be to understand, I need to remember that God does put our leaders in their positions. They are not perfect and may do things that I disagree with, or that are harmful to our country. God is not primarily concerned with national governments; he is concerned with his personal relationship with us. I need to keep my relationship with him as my primary focus. However,  I am admonished to pray for the political leaders of my town, province, and country, and I believe I should exercise the right to vote as this is also something that God has given me. Politics can be frustrating but if I keep my eyes on Jesus I will maintain a view of the big picture of God’s work in the world.