I read an article today written by Clarence L. Hayes, “5 Steps the Church Must Take for Post-Election Unity” in which he looks at the question of God’s sovereignty and the refusal of Christians to acknowledge the obvious, which is that Joe Biden won the presidential election and is President-Elect. Here is what Clarence wrote. Click this LINK to read the entire article.
Recognize God’s Sovereignty
Daniel 2:21 NLT He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.
This verse talks about the sovereignty of God. Sovereign simply means that God is in control and has ultimate authority to will and do as he pleases. Another way of thinking about it is that everything happens as God wills it to happen. He uses the course of world events to accomplish his purpose in the earth. In a political sense this means that whoever ends up in the White House every four years is there because that is who God wants there. Remember, according to Daniel he is the one who removes presidents and sets up other presidents.
It cannot be that when someone you agree with is in office, then God is sovereign, but if someone you don’t agree with is in office the devil is at work. If that is the case, then God is no longer sovereign. God is either sovereign all the time or he is not sovereign at all. Using recent history here is what that means.
When Clinton became president…God was sovereign.
When Bush became president…God was sovereign.
When Obama became president…God was sovereign.
When Trump became president…God was sovereign.
When Biden became president-elect…God was sovereign.
I know many people are still struggling with that last line but remember if God is sovereign it cannot be just when you like or agree with the outcome. Either God is sovereign all the time controlling the course of world events as the Bible says or God is not sovereign at all. Unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways.
The reason understanding God’s sovereignty is an important step to unity is because it shifts the focus back to who is really in control. When you acknowledge God is in control, your viewpoint shifts from who is in office to who is on the throne. Focusing on who is on the throne will help you deal with whoever is in office. When you come to grips with God’s sovereignty you will begin to see elections not in terms of who won or loss, but what is God’s purpose in it all.
If the body of Christ is ever going to become one we must get to the place that we trust God’s plan whether we understand it or not. Doing this lowers the temperature and brings peace of mind because regardless of who is in office, God is still in control.