Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,

and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways.

Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel (1 Samuel 8:4-6, NKJV).

 

            In an election year, with campaign ads hitting us from every side, it would be wise to consider the above scripture verses. Samuel was not happy when the leaders of Israel demanded a king so they could be “like all the nations.”

Samuel knew Israel was not meant to be like the other nations. God was to be their Sovereign Leader. But the Israelites weren’t content with that provision. They wanted to look to human leadership for direction. Samuel realized they were asking for trouble.

Now it’s true that none of us lives in a theocracy these days, as did the Israelites of old. Still, the principle holds true that if we place our dependence on human leadership rather than God, we are asking for trouble—regardless of whether that leadership leans left or right, supports our personal beliefs or rejects them entirely. People are just that—people. Fallible. Weak. Sinners. There are no exceptions. We live in a broken world, inhabited by broken people—and that includes us. True, we hope for the most godly human leaders possible, and hopefully we vote accordingly (assuming we live in a country where we are indeed blessed to vote). Regardless, as Election Day approaches, we would be wise to remember Samuel’s concerns about putting our confidence in humanity, rather than God. If we claim Christ as Lord and Savior, we have no excuse for not being in prayer for our country, particularly now as election day looms. I don’t pretend to know God’s precise plan or purpose for America (or any other country, for that matter), so far as elections or political leadership goes. I do know, however, that He has promised that if those who are called by His name “will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,” that He “will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV).

That’s where our focus and energy needs to be at this crucial time in history. May we stand together, in unity and humility, seeking God’s face and imploring Him to heal our land!