Rulers Are Appointed By God
By Sandy Ditoro
 
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
 And rides upon the storm.
 
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
 
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
 
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain
                                               ~ By William Cooper
 
The important thing for Christians to understand during this Presidential election, is that God is in control.  He will determine the outcome.  No matter how much cheating and voter fraud takes place, the man who wins will be the one God wants to be there. 
 
It has been God's pleasure to intervene in the business of earthly rulers for a long time.  Consider what Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery:
 
"So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. (Ge 45:8)
 
God Moves In A Mysterious Way
 
Even when the ruler is evil, God works things for the best for His children who are in that nation.
 
Consider Pharoah and the Children of Israel:
 
So the LORD spoke to Moses:  ....I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." (Exodus 7:1a;3-4)
 
Rulers Are Appointed By God
 
...Blessed by the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.  And he changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.  (Daniel 2:20-21)
 
He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. (Luke 1:52)
 
For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1)
 
His Hands Are Our Hands
 
If God appoints the rulers, then should we even bother to vote?  Yes!  God does not work through miracles today. His will is performed through His children and through events as He chooses for them to happen. That is why it is important  for His children to know His Word so that we can understand what His will is.  That is why it is important that we pray for wisdom and guidance..  We should pray that He will help us to discern good and evil.  His hands on earth are our hands. 
 
A Comforting Promise
 
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) 
 
Your Vote And Your Prayer Counts
 
I have heard many say, "We are living in scary times".  It is scary because of the potential for evil to effect our lives through terrorism and through wicked government from our own rulers.  There are two schools of thought over what might be  the outcome of this election. 
 
  • One is that perhaps God will finally call us into account for all the wickedness that is in our nation and we will be allowed to suffer for not glorifying God:

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. (Psalm 33:12a)

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

  • The other is that God desires for us to be able to live quiet and peaceable lives.  He wants us to live in an enviroment that is conducive to teaching and learning the gospel:

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 aughority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge ofthe truth. (I Timothy 2:1-4)

None of us can possibly know which thought has more weight in the mind of God at this time....

                               ...for this nation, 

                                                     ...for these circumstances. 

Perhaps He has given us the  power to tip the balance through our prayers, for we know:

... the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16b)

The future of this great nation may be on our shoulders, through our righteousness and through our prayers

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that we spend much time in prayer between now and next Tuesday!

 ISBS Ladies Daily Devotional
10/29/04 
 

............Article 95............

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