What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 12
What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
By Emma Danzey
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6
It is presidential election season around the corner and tensions are high and debating has already begun. If we are not careful, we can easily become engulfed with worry, anger, and fix our eyes upon people instead of God. Isaiah 6:9 reminds us who Jesus is in the midst of our nation.
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
The Jewish people had waited a long time for the Messiah. In fact, when Isaiah was written, this was prophetic and He had not been born yet. But, when this baby Jesus was born, everything changed. Unto all of us who believe in Him, the Savior of our sins came to provide life for us and redeem us. This is good news and transformative.
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
Are you feeling weighed down by the government? Do you have constant concerns about the state of our nation? Are you consumed with the news? The Jewish people in the time when Jesus was born were under the Roman government. It was a hard time for them. They did not always agree with the leaders, but they were submitted under their leadership. Luke 20:25 says, “And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” Jesus Himself was questioned about this in His adulthood. He responded that it is good to be honest and give back what is the government’s (Caesar’s), but we are to give God what belongs to Him.
This can be the wrestling in many countries. We live under the leadership of sinful people. They make poor choices and they do not always follow God’s Word when establishing laws and goals. If we are honest in America, there is no perfect leader or candidate to be a leader for our country. All have failed, and all will fail. This is because if we are waiting for a Savior to come into our government, then we are missing the Savior who has already come for the kingdom of God.
Worrying about the government all of the time can be a heavy burden on anyone’s shoulders. We were not created to bear this kind of weight. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” We are invited to come to Jesus when we are burdened and weary and He will give us rest.
The visual picture of Jesus carrying the government upon His shoulders reminds us that He is stronger and bigger than anything we face, capable of handling the heaviest concerns, and provides us with great relief. We walk with Him, and He holds the burdens. We should voice our concerns in prayers, vote, and play an active role in voicing the importance of following God’s way in our government. However, at the end of the day, we rest in Him.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus has a lot of various names that He is called. There are many titles of world leaders, but none is greater than that name about all names (Jesus). We can be reminded that President Trump, President Biden, and every single world leader past, present, and future will one day bow at the name of Jesus and confess that Jesus is Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
How consumed are you with politics? Is unnecessary fear or anger creeping into your life? How can you place your burdens on Jesus and remember that ultimately the government is on His shoulders, not yours? Take a moment and pray and thank God for being on the throne of heaven and pray for our nation leaders.
Further Reading:
Psalm 47:8
1 Peter 5:7
Revelation 14:11
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/photovs
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