Now What?

Tuesday night was not a good night for me.  Thankfully, I followed a long-standing tradition of gathering with friends and family for a chili-supper, and to watch the election returns come in.  Throughout the evening, as state after state went to the left, someone in the room would lighten the moment with a funny story or a great "one liner".  However, by ten o'clock, it was obvious that a majority of the American people had decided to sell-out liberty and traditional values for the sake of "change".  So... change is what we'll get, but I fear it won't be the change most well-meaning people thought the were voting for.

Now what?

Wednesday morning, I got up just as the sun was beginning to peak across the top of the Great Smoky Mountains, which stand majestically about forty-five miles to the southeast of where I live.  It was a beautiful sunrise!  The sky turned bright orange, just as the first glimpse of the sun made it's way over the top of Mt. LeConte.  The tops of the maple trees in my yard reflected the rays and seemed as if someone had flipped a switch, causing them to suddenly "light up".  I walked into the kitchen and saw my oldest son, Ben, putting a "Pop Tart" in the toaster, as my youngest son, Avery, was sitting at the counter, devouring a bowl of "Fruit Loops".  Casey, my six-year-old daughter had just come down-stairs and was waiting for Mom to fix her breakfast, while she looked for her shoes.  The scene was exactly the same as it was the day before.  They were seemingly unaware that the world had "changed" over-night.  Their display of simple faith made me aware of something very profound.  Although America had chosen "change", the most important aspect of life hadn't changed.  The God who had created the beautiful sunrise I had witnessed hadn't changed over-night!  He hadn't run for office, and His position of authority had not been challenged!  He's still in charge!

For the last four days, I've been on a self-inflicted "news fast".  I haven't watched or listened to any news broadcasts, because I could almost write the script for everything that will be said between now and January 20, 2009.  Instead, I have chosen to enjoy the next few weeks drinking coffee, having fellowship with friends, spending time with my family, and traveling with some great guys across America, singing Gospel music.  Oh... and listening to Christmas music!  Since God is in control, I choose to trust Him to take care of everything else.  He knows the plans He has for us and they are good!  

Now, we have to live according to the scripture we claim to hold to so dearly.  We need to pray for President-elect Barack Obama, and others who have been given positions of authority over us.  Prayer can accomplish much more than we can accomplish in our own strength.  We should pray for wisdom, guidance, and strength for our leaders, whether we voted for them or not.  We should pray that God will accomplish His perfect will in their lives, and we should pray for God's blessings on them and on our Nation.  We should also pray that God would raise up some godly men and women to spark a revival in our land.  Now, more than ever, we need God's help and protection, and since people who don't know the Lord aren't going to pray... it's up to us.  We can disagree with the outcome of the elections, and we can disagree with and oppose the policies of our leaders, but God's instructions to us are very clear.  If we don't "stand in the gap" on behalf of our country, who will do it?  

So... let's get started!  We've got a lot of work to do and we CAN make a difference, with God's help.