Today we woke up to a new Liberal minority government in Canada. While the Prime Minister has changed, we can almost certainly expect the same policies of the last 10 years under the previous Trudeau government.
There will be time for further reflection and analysis, but I want to encourage you as a follower of Christ to take courage, be hopeful, and continue to strive, build, and serve.
1. Christ Is (still) King
While we may participate in elections of our earthly rulers, we have no choice as to who runs the universe. Christ is not King by the voice of the people; he is King by the appointment of the Father. Jesus humbled himself in the incarnation and was obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).
So first, we should take comfort in Christ. He reigns today. He will build his church. He is always faithful. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
2. God Is Judging Our Wicked Nation
Second, we should remember that every human government has been instituted by God (Romans 13:1). Sometimes, God grants to his creatures wise rulers which are a blessing to a nation. Other times, God allows wicked tyrants to trample the people under his rule. Why would God do this? John Calvin writes that “they who rule unjustly and incompetently have been raised up by [God] to punish the wickedness of the people… a wicked king is the Lord’s wrath upon the earth (Job 34:30)” (Institutes, 4.20.25). Also, in his commentary on Romans 13 he says, “For since a wicked prince is the Lord’s scourge to punish the sins of the people, let us remember, that it happens through our fault that this excellent blessing of God is turned into a curse” (Commentary, Romans 13:3–4).
What we are reminded of is that God created and instituted government for the blessing and prosperity of humanity. Government is designed to ensure justice so that the righteous may flourish. But the power of government can be a curse if the people are wicked, turning from God and seeking licentious and idolatrous living rather than the righteousness from above.
Therefore, we should lament that our nation is so far from God—our new leaders are a reminder of that reality. We should pray and work for the welfare of our city and nation knowing that the most pressing issue is faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. Remember to Walk Worthy of Your Calling
Third, we must remember that we have responsibilities. Our families, our church, our communities need our joyful confidence in Christ. We cannot be driven by fear or anxiety, but out of love for our God we serve, work, strive, and build. Sing tonight the songs of the faith. Read the word with joy. Love your spouse and play with your children. Be salt and light in your home, church, and world (Matthew 5:13-16). Do not grumble or despair but be a shining light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:14-15). You are a forgiven, blood-bought, citizen of a heavenly kingdom. You have much to be thankful for!
As our nation seems bent on heading down the wrong path, away from God, let us draw near to him, taking up our duties with joy. God will establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).
“Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble….
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:21–24, 28–31).
—Tim Stephens