By William F. Holland Jr. Ph.D.
Ordained/Licensed Christian minister
For those who pay no attention to national and social policies, this election will pass by like every other day and they will hardly notice or care about what it means for all of us.
However, if you are someone who tries to keep up with the latest events and decisions that involve our country and world, as an informed voter you have probably already made up your mind about your choice for president. We know the country is divided about many issues and one side will be greatly disappointed with the results, but I pray that everyone can stay calm and graciously accept the results with maturity and integrity.
Before I share what is on my heart, I want to remind us and this includes myself that if a person believes the Bible and is a follower of Christ, we have the assurance that God is ultimately in control of everything. Whether humans or Satan is involved, it is God who allows or prevents.
Nothing is done behind His back and He is never surprised. He knows the future and has all power and authority to intervene in every situation. Sometimes it might not seem He is involved, but He is. If God wants to allow something to happen it is directly associated with His perfect plans. The same is true if He steps in and stops something from happening. The world of course does not understand His sovereignty, but His children are called to learn and trust in His perfect will.
I want to speak briefly about the subject of God’s light and realize that some may wonder what this has to do with an election. My response is everything. Light and darkness are big deals in this world as they represent truth and error, good and evil, sin and righteousness, victory and defeat, and we can go on. Since light overpowers the darkness and changes everything it comes in contact with, we have security and encouragement to know it’s impossible for darkness to overcome the light. This is a tremendous revelation that exalts God as the divine Creator and King of heaven and earth. When Christ lives within us, His truth is a light unto our path.
I John chapter one declares that God is light and how it is opposite from darkness as we notice verses 5-7. “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Since His followers are called to be the light of the world, we see in I Thessalonians 5:5, “For you are children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” And Ephesians 5:8, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light.”
We seldom appreciate that without light we could not see, naturally and spiritually. Just imagine if our Sun went black or we lost all electrical power we would be stumbling around with a flashlight. With God Himself being light, He knew that we desperately needed His light to not only see with our natural eyes but also to comprehend how critical it is to spiritually discern His voice with our spirits and renewed minds. (See Romans 12:1-2).
Those who do not know God do not have His light, but the ones who walk with Him are led by the light of His love and wisdom. They do not vote based on worldly and cultural trends but they obey God’s perfect will. As II Peter 1:4 describes, they are made partakers of God’s divine nature, “having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” The Almighty wants all people to understand Him as He provides an opportunity to know what is holy and pure. Social correctness is filled with opinions and desires, but every human speculation and thought is not God inspired. We are beginning to see how being filled with God’s light gives us the clarity to know what to believe and our responsibility to obey Him which includes how to vote.
Dr. Holland is a minister, chaplain, and Christian author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.
