The results of Tuesday night’s election have come as a shock to many. I received a text from a friend serving in politics who said, and I quote, “I was really surprised.”
Dr. Albert Mohler described the results as “a catastrophic wipeout for Republicans.”
I know I need not remind you, but sometimes reminders are good: Whether you are still crying in the corner or celebrating your party’s victory, God is in control!
Consider what the Scriptures tell us:
- Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”
- Daniel 2:21: “He removeth kings, and setteth up kings.”
- Psalm 75:7: “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
- Job 12:23: “He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.”
- Psalm 22:28: “For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.”
Elections matter. Leadership matters. The decisions made in government matter. But none of them change the fact that God sits upon His throne.
However, perhaps no passage better helps us understand the personal implications of God’s sovereignty than Psalm 139. David’s meditation in this psalm moves beyond what God does among the nations and considers what God does in the life of an individual. He considers three remarkable attributes of God: His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence.
- God Knows Me (Psalm 139:1-6)
” O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.” (v. 1)
David begins with the remarkable truth that God knows him completely. The word translated “searched” carries the idea of diligent investigation or examination. God doesn’t simply know the surface details of our lives. He knows our thoughts, desires, motives, and intentions.
He knows our present, our past, and our future.
Think about that for a moment. God knows what you are thinking before you ever speak it. He knows where you are going before you take the first step. Nothing about your life catches Him by surprise.
I have no doubt that from the time I was young, God was directing my steps. Looking back, I can see the hand of God in circumstances I didn’t understand at the time. We are not asked to understand; we are just asked to trust. Trust is what we must do today and every day! Job acknowledged this when he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” (Job 13:15).
Think about what that means this week. Nothing about Tuesday’s results caught God off guard. No exit poll surprised Him. No race call forced Him to revise His plans. The One who knows my words before I speak them also knew the outcome before the first vote was counted.
That is an all-knowing God.
- God Surrounds Me (Psalm 139:7-12)
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (v. 7)
David now moves from God’s knowledge to God’s presence. Nowhere can we go where God is not already there.
He is present in the places we love and in the places we would rather avoid. He is there in our victories and in our disappointments. He is there when the future looks bright and when the path ahead seems uncertain.
Washington, D.C. is not outside that list. Neither is your statehouse, your county courthouse, or the voting precinct where you stood in line. No office, no majority, no Governor’s mansion, and no margin exists beyond the reach of His hand.
This truth should give us tremendous confidence. We don’t have to know what tomorrow holds because we know the One who holds tomorrow.
Our responsibility is to seek Him, pray for His direction, and trust Him to lead.
- God Made Me (Psalm 139:13-19)
David takes us back to the beginning: “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb” (v. 13). Before any of us drew breath, God was already forming us, knowing us, and seeing us.
Your abilities, personality, and opportunities are within His knowledge and care. This doesn’t mean every circumstance will be good or every decision right. It means that even in a fallen world, God is never absent, never surprised, and never without purpose.
As God knew and saw us before we were ever born, so He sees and knows all events: past, present, and future.
You don’t need to panic about tomorrow, next year, or even the next election. God is already there.
When the Dust Settles
The political landscape will keep changing. Administrations will come and go. Parties will win and lose. Leaders will rise and fall.
But God will remain on His throne. Therefore, we should:
- Pray for those in authority. Paul told Timothy to do this for kings and all who are in high positions (1 Timothy 2:1-2). That includes the ones we didn’t vote for.
- Stay engaged. Trusting God’s sovereignty is never a reason for apathy. Vote, serve, speak, and show up.
- Keep the gospel first. No election result can add to or subtract from the good news of Jesus Christ.
- Rest. The One who never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:4) is still on the throne, so you can sleep.
So, when the dust settles after an election, remember this: Our confidence was never supposed to rest in a political party, a candidate, or an election result. Our confidence rests in the sovereign God of heaven.
The ballot box may determine who occupies the halls of government, but the throne of heaven determines who ultimately rules the world.
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