I don’t think Garry Guimond really knows me, so it is interesting that he picked me to talk about government, because, while I’ve never held public office, I worked for the government most of my life and I used to be really active in local politics.
When I was really young, I leaned liberal, not because I knew what that meant, exactly, but because that was where the cute girls were leaning and – can I be honest with you? – the liberals were just more fun. They were fun, but they were delusional. See, they thought the government was the savior of the world. But after college, I was in the military, I got married, and I became a Christian, and I began to drift more and more conservative. In fact, I was a conservative editorial cartoonist for many years, I worked on many local campaigns, I was active in grass roots party politics, and I even subscribed to The National Review. I was conservative because it was patriotic, fiscally responsible, and appealed to my Christian ideas about objective truth. But my conservative friends were also deluded. They thought that the American Experiment was the savior of the world.
Now that I am in pastoral ministry, I have become more of a libertarian. I would love for the government to lean toward civil liberty. They make excellent policemen, but I would love it if they would leave the moral wrestling matches to the poets, philosophers, preachers, and parents.
What I have learned is that maybe the US government is the best in the world, maybe it DOES make a really great policeman, but government, ANY government makes a lousy God.
This world already has a savior; it doesn’t need another one, amen?
Here’s what Paul has to say about it: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:1-5)
Our government won’t save us and neither will our ideals. What will save us is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and his reconciliation of all things to himself.
That said, having worked for the government most of my life, I know that they need prayer every bit as much as the rest of us, maybe more so. So let’s go to the Lord…
Father, God, we thank you so much for many things, but especially today, we thank you that we were born in this great country at this very important time in its history so that we might be the ones to lift these particular servants and leaders up to you. For in your word, you tell us that, even if it seems like they are working at cross-purposes with you and your church, that YOU are in control, that they are YOUR servants even if they don’t know it, and that you have put them there for your purposes in your timing.
So, Father, we pray that you would protect and provide for the leaders of our nation, our state, our county, and our community.
Father, we pray that you would grant them wisdom, patience, discernment, and an awareness of your love and provision.
Also, Father, we pray that you would help us, as implicit members of this great representative government of ours, to pick our battles carefully. I pray that you would help us, as US citizens, agents of your son, and bearers of your image, to be chiefly concerned with exalting you among the nations, not by winning our little skirmishes, but by submitting to your authority, living lives of obedience, love, and grace amidst our circle of influence, helping to change one life at a time, starting with our own.
By this humble service to you, our fervent prayer, which you have promised will avail much, we call on all Americans everywhere, to quit abdicating our responsibility to the poor, the widow, and the alien - giving it over to our overworked and overextended government - and put it back in the lap of the church where it belongs. We repent of paying others to do our ministry, and pray that our leaders will recognize this as YOUR sovereign will and get out of the way.
But most of all, in our government, our homes, and everywhere else in this great nation, Father, we pray your will, not ours, be done. If that prayer was good enough for your son, it is good enough for us – so we humbly ask it in HIS precious name, amen.
