November 2- Daniel 2:21

THE VERSE

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
~Daniel 2:21

THE THOUGHT

Today in election day. As Americans go to the polls to select a new Senators, Congress members, and governors today, our democratic system may fool us into thinking that we are the captains of our fate and the masters of our own destiny. But the Bible presents a starkly different view of reality: God is absolutely sovereign over the course of human history. He removes kings and sets up kings; nations rise and fall by His decree. God is in sovereign control of the stock market, of Iraq, of Afghanistan, of Washington, and though it may not seem that way now, soon the clouds of our corrupted vision will be swept aside and we will see the glorious end to which God is directing all of history. God orchestrates the minor keys of calamity, injustice, and sin as part of the grand historic symphony that eternally resounds to His glory.

So do not despair, and do not be fatalistic. The end is in God's hands, but He has granted means to us. Exercise your right to vote; go to the polls, but do so with confidence that God will glorify Himself by the outcome regardless of which side wins. Don't base your confidence in the future on who gets elected. God is King, and His purposes will become clear in time.

THE PRAYER

Lord, Have mercy on our nation. We trust that the outcome of this election is in Your sovereign hands and under the guidance of Your omnipotent will, but we do ask that in Your great mercy, you would not give us the leaders we deserve, but that You would continue to restrain sin, defend the defenseless, and grant freedom to Your people.

EXTENDED READING

Proverbs 19:21-23
Isaiah 14:24-27
Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel 4:34-35

THE QUOTE

"To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God." ~William Temple

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

Ezekiel 4-8
Job 2
John 7:45-53
2 Peter 1:12-21