An Election Eve Meditation

Here we are on America’s Election Eve. 

Tomorrow, we will vote, and soon we will know who will lead this country from January 2021 to January 2025.

Anyone else feel weary? Anyone else feel stressed?

Is there anyone else out there feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders?

You’re not alone. 

And the weight isn’t yours to bear.

I want to give you a gentle reminder: The fate of the universe does not depend on you. Yes, life is stressful. Yes, in America we have the privilege of voting, and yes, every vote counts.

Yes, we have a responsibility, but no—the fate of America does not pivot on tip of your ballpoint pen.

No matter what, we will make it through.

And this is true for more than the election. 

No matter how bad the economy gets, no matter if the virus has an even worse resurgence, no matter if taxes raise, no matter if freedoms sink…

God is still God.

And He is the answer to all your questions.

There’s an old Sunday School joke that Jesus is always the answer, but there’s truth to that.

Unfortunately, Jesus can’t be the literal president of the United States of America.

But He’s already Lord of the Universe, and I pledged allegiance to Him a long time ago.

He is the answer. No matter who wins or loses, no matter what happens next, Jesus is still the answer.

Take a deep breath. Inhale.

Hold it.

Hold it. 

Keep holding it…

Exhale slowing.

Now, I acknowledge that this advice doesn’t seem practical on the surface.

After all, when we’re trying to make sense of things, we want things to make sense. We seek knowledge. We seek information. We seek to understand, and understanding is good. Knowledge is good.

But…

We need to remember the source of all understanding and knowledge. 

God invites us to seek wisdom and understanding, but He also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

This isn’t the Halloween “Oh no, I’m scared!” kind of fear.

This is the kind of fear that you get when you stare at the ocean’s violent, relentless, unstoppable waves or peer through a telescope into the vast expanse of the cosmos. 

It’s the kind of fear when you truly appreciate your own tininess and realize how great God actually is.

It’s also no doubt the fear Adam and Eve felt in the Garden of Eden. 

In this place of perfection, fear couldn’t be the bad, unhealthy, destructive kind. But it was the awe of creation gazing at Creator.

I have a question for you. In the Garden of Eden, what was the answer to all of Adam and Eve’s problems?

Okay, the answer isn’t technically Jesus because he wasn’t physically present yet. 

But later, Jesus came down in human form, God with us, to redeem humanity and restore the relationship that was lost when Adam and Eve sinned.

So, for us, the answer is Jesus, who gives us access to the same kind of relationship Adam and Eve had in the garden.

So, I’ll ask again, but in a different way.

Adam and Eve were the first people. Before they even had their first child, they were told to watch over the garden. Adam had already been told to name the animals. And, according to Genesis 1, from the very creation of man, humans were to rule the earth.

Do you think Adam and Eve understood this purpose?

I don’t think so. I also think they were dreadfully confused on the whole Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil situation.

If God gave us a garden to live and thrive in, and we’re allowed to eat from all the other trees (including the Tree of Life!), why would He also plant a tree we’re forbidden to eat from? Why would he put something in my garden that I’m not able to use or enjoy?

God doesn’t tell them why.

But He does give them friendship. Relationship. 

Sometimes, the only answer you get from God is God Himself. 

We give Him our doubts and fears and confusions, but he doesn’t always answer them directly. He gives us His presence instead.

He knows what information we can and can’t handle. He knows everything! And He wants us to trust Him through it all.

Through these circumstances, He proves His goodness and faithfulness, and he brings Himself glory by personifying perfect wisdom.

So, seek His presence! Trust in His wisdom!

Many of us, when we don’t understand God, run away and isolate ourselves. We wallow in confusion because God’s not giving us the answers we want, when His presence (that is, relationship provided by Jesus through grace by faith) is all we need.

Some of us run because we don’t even understand what’s right and wrong. We see a gray area and get scared God’s going to condemn us and we want to just figure it out on our own.

You know who else didn’t understand right and wrong? Adam and Eve. They sinned before they understood evil because in confusion, they sought knowledge over presence, understanding over relationship.

You can give God your confusion.

God is not scared of your gray area. Yes, He’s holy, and yes, the Holy Spirit will convict you of sin, but He’s not going to condemn you for seeking Him. 

Remember the story of the prodigal son!

Entering His presence should not carry a fear of punishment. We should never underestimate God’s holiness, and we should approach Him with the deep respect that the Creator of the multiverse deserves.

But He’s not going to turn you away. He wants a relationship with you, and He wants you to seek Him.

Jesus freed us from sin so by faith in Him and allegiance to His lordship we can be in right relationship with Him.

We can walk with Him in the garden again.

So, breathe in.

More. More. More!

Hold it.

Exhale slowly.

No matter what happens, just say this with me:

The weight of the world is not mine to carry. 

The solution to every problem is found in the Triune God—in the Love of the Father, the Power of the Holy Spirit, and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amen.