Uncertainty.
As you read this message, there is a great deal of uncertainty about the outcome of the presidential election. Polling experts suggest anything could happen, and both Biden and Trump’s campaigns have been busy in the battleground states in these last days. Is it possible we’ll have a clear winner in the next 24 hours? It is uncertain at this point.
The uncertainty will not end when a winner is declared. If you listen to the political ads, a Trump victory will lead to an unbridled version of the toxicity we’ve seen in the last 4 years, and a Biden win will send us down a path of liberal destruction. Uncertainty abounds, and it won’t go away anytime soon. After today, at least half of all American voters will have some real apprehension about a future with a president for whom they did not vote.
Uncertainty.
As I pray for our nation, a couple thoughts come to mind- things that are certain no matter what. First, God has called us to himself, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:38-39) Please find comfort in the knowledge that through Jesus Christ, we are in the palm of God’s hand, and there is no safer or better place for us to be. Second, God has given us a specific calling, and that calling does not change with the outcome of this election. It is stated in various ways throughout the Scriptures, and one that’s been sticking with me lately is from 2 Corinthians 5. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself…entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” The Gospel, at its core, is a ministry of reconciliation, and as Gospel-people in the world, our calling is to witness to the One who has given us peace with God and peace with each other. Christians are in a unique position to witness to that reconciling power of the Gospel in thought, word, and deed.
In these next days of uncertainty, you may have opportunity to live out that calling through online and in-person encounters with people who are afraid in defeat or obnoxious in victory. In both situations, you are Christ’s ambassador.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Daniel