Honor the King

I've tried not to talk about politics very much on this blog. For one reason, I hate conflict. Obviously our country is very divided as to who should be the next president. So are my blog readers. For another, I have not felt totally warm and fuzzy about either party. I know, I love Sarah Palin. That doesn't necessarily make her a great candidate for VP. But I did vote, and I hope you did too--no matter which candidate you are in favor of. Now all we can do is wait...and pray.

See, I believe God is ultimately in control of all things. All of my pro-life friends (I am one of them) have this fear of what will happen if Obama gets into office. I have had nightmares about failed-abortion babies being left with no care. It just makes my heart hurt. But we all know there's a good chance he is going to win this election, and maybe that's God's plan for our country. How can that be? my pro-life friends ask. Well, God allows things to happen so that people will turn to Him and so that people will take action.

I have a friend (I hope she's still my friend) who sent a mass email saying she cannot and will not "honor the king" if Obama becomes the president. (This is what Paul commanded in 1 Peter 2.) She said our country is actually ruled by the constitution, so she will honor that. Even though I hate conflict, I have to disagree with that. We are not always called to do what is easy. We are commanded to "honor our parents" even when they do us harm. That doesn't mean we don't take necessary action to stop their behavior or change the situation. Paul actually said to "honor the king" when Nero was the emperor. His rule was known for tyranny and persecution of Christians. What does this mean if our "king" is someone who is making choices contrary to our beliefs? I think it means we pray for him. We abide by the laws insomuch as it doesn't go contrary to biblical mandates (Paul continued to preach the gospel even though it was illegal). We pay our taxes even if they are going to fund things that we find unthinkable. And we don't bad-mouth him with mockery or derision. That does not glorify God or win over the unbelievers. Rather, we need to put our faith into action. We can put our time and resources into places that provide abortion alternatives to women such as pregnancy resource centers. We can consider adoption. We can take in women that we know personally who don't feel they have other alternatives. Maybe we even enter the political arena ourselves rather than watching and criticizing.

I will not hide the fact that I am a Christian. I am conservative. I am pro-life. What this means to me is that I have an even bigger responsibility than ever, no matter the outcome of this election, to have a good attitude. I have done my part by voting. And no matter who becomes our "king," he needs prayer. He needs counsel from godly people who can help guide him rather than criticize him. And he needs to see Christians honoring him even when we disagree with his choices. Honoring does not mean endorsing. It means understanding that he has God-given authority. That being said, let's rally together and take action. Whoever he is, let's be strong where he is weak....without grumbling and complaining.