The State of the Union Address

The believer on the other hand is given some clear directives in God’s Word regarding their position to the President and his actions. The Apostle Paul gives the greatest number of imperatives, each on hitting on a little different aspect of this relationship.  In Acts 23:5b the Apostle Paul states, “Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.” President Obama is the ruler of the people of the United States. He is not the type of ruler that Paul experience in the first century, but nevertheless, the President is the chief of the government and the believer is not to speak evil of or about him. This level of obedience to God will definitely set the believer apart in the everyday work place and will require great dependence upon God for the strength to measure up.

The Apostle Paul gives the believer some insight to leaders that do not necessarily lead in a Godly fashion or manner. The Apostle in Romans 13 gives the believer the most direct insight:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.(NIV)

This passage spells out that God is the one who has put President Obama in power. It is the believer’s position to seek God to the point that God’s intention for the current administration is revealed. This can be accomplished by applying the Apostle’s imperative from 2 Timothy 2:1-2,

 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (NIV)

Here the Apostle specifically mentions “those in authority”, not very much leeway given to who is to be included in our prayers. Note the personal reward for praying for the leaders and authorities of the land – peaceful and quiet lives. The continent has not seen warfare since the mid-19^th Century, and on a day-to-day basis, the threat of bombings and terroristic attacks has only become a reality in recent years. The United States has enjoyed 150 plus years of peaceful homeland existence due to the prayerful diligence of the faithful through the years and now is not the time to quit.

The last imperative that came to mind as a result of the address was 2 Chronicles 7:13-14,

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)

Right away when this passage is read, visions of Moses, the plagues, and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt come to mind. God sent these afflictions to get the people’s attention – both the Egyptians as well as the Israelites, but primarily the Pharaoh. Matthew Henry notes in relation to the Pharaoh: “God suffers the lying spirit to do strange things, that the faith of some may be tried and manifested, that the infidelity of others may be confirmed, and that he who is filthy may be filthy still.”  It is in times like these that those that are playing “Christianity” will fall away from the faith, and those that are truly Christ-followers will be refined to greater and greater purity. There will not be any time to play games when one is cast into the thick of the fray, either there will be perseverance or capitulation.

Let the believers, the Christ-followers, take these imperative and begin by applying them personally and then corporately.

Ron Brace