God is Not Worried, He is Worthy (and Working).

    There are moments in our lives when things happen that cause us to wonder whether or not God was caught off guard. God, did you see that from afar or did it sneak past you? God, where were you when this happened? If God didn't see the event coming that means He must be worried.

    I think that for this nation the race for the presidency was one of those moments.  It polarized the nation and was a cause for great concern amongst many people. The results of the election and the inauguration of our new President seemed to even further divide the nation and cause much angst and anger within our country. I’m not saying I know everything but if there is one thing I do know it’s this - God is not worried. He’s not stressing about His children, He’s not wondering whether or not we are going to make it through the next four years or crash and burn into a hopeless oblivion.  He’s not surprised that America has chosen a man who has made some very detrimental, malicious, sexist and racist comments while running, to lead us. He is not blindsided that America was tired of the skeptical decisions and opaque statements of politicians and chose a businessman. He is not shocked that the White House will not see the first female President this year. He is not nervous, taken aback, anxious, or worried. 

God is not worried, He is worthy. Wait, worthy? Why is He worthy?

    In all honesty I believe that God is worthy because he’s Worthy. Yes, you read that correctly. His divine nature and in essence who He is demands our reverence, respect, and our worship. In light of those facts, we shouldn't be worried. Another reason this should bring us comfort instead of concern is because God is also, you guessed it - working. Now, what working means to you could vary depending on what view of Scripture you hold. One view is that God appoints all the leaders whether they be good or evil and pretty much controls their hearts to do His will. Another perspective is thatpeople chose the leaders whether they be good or bad, and decisions are made by the leader which God permits, but God can intervene and sway the hearts of those in power because He is God after all, “no one man should have all that power,” (thanks Kanye). There are other views but we will stick with those two. Whichever view you hold isn't the point of this post. The point is to let you know that God is not worried but worthy and working. That fact should alleviate your stress,right? 

      God didn't get up from his throne and take a coffee break. He didn't doze off at the wheel or take his eye off of America for a second only to come back to Trump in the White House. Neither did He leave when Obama was president and decide to come back now that Trump is in office to guide his pen as he signs a bill (both scenarios are actual thoughts by the way, people actually posted these images on their social media accounts). On the contrary God is God. That means He knows things we don’t, does things we often misunderstand and is always, always, always in control. 

      I believe our job as Christians in our local churches is to partner with what God is doing, to “work, work, work, work, work” (thanks Rihanna),to be salt and light in our neighborhoods and ultimately the nation. God is at work in our world, our nation, our communities and in our homes. No presidency is going to change that. The question is, are we willing to seek His face and labor with Him to get the work done, regardless of whether we agree or not?  I believe that laboring includes, but is not limited to, “these four major keys”( thanks DJ Khaled). 

We should Intercede

    To intercede means to intervene on behalf of another. This isn't an unfamiliar concept especially for the Believer, Jesus does this for us regularly. As believers we are called to pray for our leaders. We must take it a step further and pray for our nation, our communities our churches and our families. Prayer changes things. I know that is a cliche statement but it's true, and if we want to see change in our communities and our country, we must cry out to the LORD in prayer. 

We should be Informed

    So you know the books of the Bible, thats great! You get a gold star on your Sunday school chart and a massive bookmark to keep your place as you read through Obadiah. Unfortunately, Biblical information, though extremely important and necessary in the life of the Believer, is not what I am speaking about here. In the Bible (irony alert, thanks Alanis Morissette) there is a group of men who “were aware of the times and knew how to act.” We should know the times. It is a detriment to your faith if you remain inside the walls of your church, comfortable in your Christian bubble and ill informed about what is happening in your community and in the world. Being proficient in pop culture and all the current posts on social media will only get you but so far. The Church must be aware of decisions and changes in our society. If we are ill informed then how can we fulfill our obligation to pray strategic, specific prayers? Let us make a decision today to become a more informed people.

 We should be Involved

    In order for the Church to be the Church and not just a place to be on Sunday morning it must be a light in the community and be active in the life of the state and government. Remember those men in the Bible, they not only knew the times but knew how to act as well. Having a passion to take action is great but having a clear sense of direction before taking that step always helps. We must be prayerful, vigilant and use wisdom when being involved. Involvement may look different for different churches but the people that occupy the church must do their very best to make an impact or a difference however they can. From volunteering, to partnering with community leaders, to galvanizing people that desire to make their concerns known, the Church must not only shine inside it’s doors but outside it’s walls as well. Being involved is a major part of Jesus’ call to being salt and light and helping to facilitate healthy change within our spheres of influence is a great place to start.

 We should be Intimate

    No, not that type of intimate, crazy. Im speaking on intimacy with God. Which includes but is not limited to, praise and worship which will be the focus of this section. It is important to understand that worship is more then just good vocals and talented musicians, and praise is more then just an occasional hand clap or a shout of Hallelujah. Both of these should be an expression of the heart, a deep resolve to thank God for His blessings and honor Him for who He is, even if we see and hear something that seems contradictory. I believe that when this happens, we are showing a healthy fear of the LORD and this also shows the world that our hope is not dependent upon our circumstances. 

    So thats it, thank you for reading. My prayer is that this entry would help to dissipate any fears or worries anyone reading this may have about the current situation of our nation. Now that you’re done, do us all a favor - stop worrying realize He is worthy and get to work. God Bless you, and God Bless America.