Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”
And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ Acts 22:10 ESV
One of my favorite songs from the 1960’s is the Simon and Garfunkel tune, “Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It reminds me of an incident in 1983 when a section of the highway bridge over the Mianus River in Connecticut collapsed at midnight. The first car coming upon the scene was able to stop in time and the driver jumped out and frantically tried to wave down the other vehicles. Tragically in the dark and confusion of the moment, four vehicles ignored his warnings and tumbled off into the river.
In life, there are times when, like Paul, we are sure that we are going the right way, but instead we are way off track. The good news is that God sets up a roadblock, because He has something better in mind. So, instead of becoming angry, consider that what you are facing just might be God’s warning that there is danger up ahead. In that moment, remember, that God cannot show us the right road as long as we keep driving in the wrong direction. But when, like Paul, we cry out in astonishment, “What shall I do, Lord?” God is delighted to show us what He has in mind and through the cross of Jesus Christ He becomes our “Bridge Over Troubled Water”!
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that ‘democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’ ” Winston Churchill November 11,1947
Tomorrow the great experiment in American Democracy will hold its next lab-class. As poll workers, my wife and I have a unique perspective, that I hoped would bring some calm and light in what may feel like a crazy election cycle. I am now seventy-five years old, and for my entire voting life, with each new cycle, I have heard again that this will be the most important election in history because of the changes it will bring. But, to me every election that we choose to vote (or not vote in) is the most important, because we can only choose today. Yesterday is already a moot point and tomorrow is a day never promised. So, without political vitriol or further pomposity, let me share what tomorrow will look like.
We will arrive at 5:45 and begin to set up the polling place. Though people cannot yet cast a ballot, they are free to watch us as we go to our various stations. At precisely 7 am, the first voters will file in. Because I serve in my local precinct, I will know a few people, but most I will not. Some are so young, that this will be their first election, others so old and fragile that their son or daughter helps them as they again exercise their right to vote. Some will vote for the candidates I choose, and some will not. Some are far smarter, wealthier and definitely better looking, while others are quite ordinary. As the lines ebb and flow, I smile at each voter, try to greet them by name and hand them the most valuable thing on earth: their ballot.
Yes, this democratic experiment has had its share of problems, and yet we also have granted more freedoms, and allowed us the ability to choose in secret, and preserved a peaceful transfer of power since the beginning. After all the votes have been counted, some folks will dance, others will challenge the results, and many may complain bitterly. But at the end, we will have new governors, senators, representatives and judges, and on Wednesday morning most will peacefully go back to work. No bombs will fall on us, or missiles fly overhead and if we will pause long enough to consider, we just may begin to give God thanks for His amazing grace in this land of the free and the home of the brave!
You must be logged in to post a comment.