I’ve seen many Christians worry about the election. Hillary might win, might lose. Trump might win, might not win, might hand the Democrats the presidency, might open his mouth. Even if you’re not worried, I’m sure you’ve seen the elevation of worried Christians. So here are three reasons why Christians shouldn’t worry about Trump, Hillary, or the outcome of the election.
God Commands Us Not To Worry. But Why?
Phil 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Matt 6:25-26 do not be anxious about your life… Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Simply put, the Bible says, don’t worry because God values you and promises to take care of you.
If we worry about the election, in essence, we say God can’t take care of us, but somehow the president will. Or the right economic system will. Or the right society will.
In our worry, we believe that God can’t fulfill his promises of love for those he values.
But this is God’s promise to you:
Romans 8:38-39 I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reason #1: God commands us not to worry because he promises to take care of those he loves.
Well Then, What is God’s Plan?
God’s plan and work in your life is to make you like Christ (Rom 8:29, 1 Thess 5:23, John 17:17, Phil 1:6, Phil 2:13). This is called “sanctification“.
And how does he grow us to be like Christ? Just as physical exercise strengthens you through physical trials and suffering, God strengthens you through spiritual trials and suffering (James 1:2-4). God is your personal coach and trainer. (See: Why Do I Suffer?)
And just like champion-level athletes, as Christians, we should not fear strengthening trials. We embrace them. We count them all joy (James 1:2-4), we rejoice in our sufferings (Rom 5:3-5) because we have our eyes on the prize (1 Cor 9:24).
The society one lives in can be a trial. Trials come in varying degrees. So while trials in America aren’t as bad as other countries where Christians are murdered, to us the declining leadership and the direction of our nation are trials.
So trials strengthen us to be like Christ, but then, what are the traits of Christ?
Humility (Phil 2:5-11) and the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).
Speaking from my own personal failings, I find that love and peace are the two biggest traits of Christ that God is most trying to grow in me through politics.
Love – for those I disagree with in real life, on social media and politicians on TV. Peace – by not putting my hopes in the economy, society, policies, politicians, my finances, but in Christ.
Reason #2: Don’t worry, God has a plan. This plan is to use trials to make us more like Christ.
America is Not Our True Home
John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
We are citizens of the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:10, Matt 6:33, John 18:36, Rom 14:17). We are members of God’s family (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1-3). Our true home is a few short years away, in Heaven, with God.
Where you live now is a waiting area on route to our home. It’s like our father and family are already waiting for us on a tropical island on vacation, and we’re still back at the airport waiting for our flight.
And we’re going to be at this airport for a while, so what do we do? We find a seat, keep it clean, and decorate it. Soon, our seat is all we care about.
We want a bigger seat. We want others to stay off our seat. Then we want to elect leaders that will protect our seats through policies and laws. Meanwhile, there are people all around who are lost, sad, have no meaning, who have broken relationships.
We don’t point them to the president who might give them a nicer seat; we tell them where we sit now doesn’t truly matter if you simply ask for a ticket to the vacation island where our family is.
Matt 6:19-20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
Matt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
After this waiting area we call ‘Earth’ has passed away (Rev 21:1), and when you stand before God to give an account for your life (2 Cor 5:10, Rev 20:11-15, Matt 25:31-46), God does not penalize you if your government was Democrat, Republican, communist or a monarchy.
God takes that all into account when rewarding you for what you did with what he put under your care.
Matt 25:23 ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Rev 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
And what are these things we are rewarded for? Loving God and loving others (Matt 22:36-40, Matt 25:31-46), which we can only do if we are like Christ, which is the reason he grows us through trials. Trials create eternal benefits!
Simply put, God commands us to love, and rewards us for love, because God is love (1 John 4:16).
During our allotted time, did we love God through praise, thankfulness and obedience, and did we love others by serving their spiritual and physical needs? (See: What is God’s Will For Me?)
Love is our mission (1 John 3:11-24, 1 John 4:7-21). That does not change if Trump is president, if Hillary is president, if Darth Vader or Voldemort or Sauron is president.
No matter who becomes the leader of your earthly country, your mission is to love. Different opportunities of love are created when there is a change in leadership and culture.
Will you find these new opportunities?
So What Did Christ Say About Politics and Our True Home?
Where in the gospels did Christ worry about the political power of Rome? He didn’t. His earthly political kingdom is not now, but it is coming.
When we worry, we act like the disciples, wanting Christ to establish his earthly political kingdom… now. They did not understand, even as Christ was ascending into heaven.
Acts 1:6 “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
We say, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to America?”
Acts 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
We do not know when Christ will return to establish his earthly political kingdom, but in the meantime…
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
That is our mission. To spread the love of Christ by loving God and others in your town, state, country and world. To your spouse, kids, family, friends workplace and community (Matt 28:19-20).
God has placed you in a certain point in history, in a certain society with its particular politics to bring hope that comes from the love of an infinite, all powerful God, not from small, finite, sinful human president.
Where do you find your hope? Where will you point people to find their hope?
Are your status updates about how politicians or policies can bring hope? Or do you build relationships in order to create opportunities to show them the hope of Christ?
During troubled times, remember we are citizens of Christ’s present but invisible kingdom. But when the season comes, his kingdom will be established on earth when Heaven (the dwelling place of God) will be united with earth (the dwelling place of man) in a kingdom that lasts for eternity.
So then, what was promised to the disciples as Christ ascended into heaven?
Acts 1:9-11 as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
And what else will happen?
Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, … And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
America will be gone. Your house, your 401K, your job, your precious possessions will be gone. Your illness, your pain, your loneliness will all be gone.
Reason #3: Don’t worry, this is not our home. Our home is Heaven. And Heaven is awesome.
Soon we will be with our family – with our Father, with Christ, with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be in God’s love with the gift our Father, Christ, each other, and the entire universe for us to enjoy for infinity and in infinite ways. (See: What is Heaven Like?)
So What Do I Do Now?
To act in True Faith we need to focus on all three parts of faith.
- Know God’s Word. Know God’s promises of his plan, of trials and of our true home. (See verses above or full articles below in the notes.)
- Have the Heart of God’s Word (of Christ). Identify which fruit of the spirit and humility God is trying to grow in you through political and societal trials.
- Obey God’s Word. Seek wisdom in order to create deeper relationships in an increasingly divisive society in order to show them the hope of Christ and in order to love God and love others more.
Don’t worry. God commands us not to worry because he promises to take care of those he loves.
Don’t worry, God has a plan. This plan is to use trials to make us more like Christ.
Don’t worry, this is not our home. Our home is Heaven. And Heaven is awesome.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I am coming soon.
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NOTES
1. For related topics, please visit:
What is God’s Will For Me? (Love God, Love Others, That’s It) (article)
Why Do I Suffer? (video)
How Can I be Truly Happy? (video)
What is Heaven Like? (article)
2. None of this is meant to discourage being involved in the political process. This was simply to address Christians being worried about the outcome of an election.
3. I have never watched “The Apprentice”.