He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding … Daniel 2:21
I don't put much trust in governments,
presidents, or monarchs. Daniel raises an interesting question as to
whether God is “in control” of government. Governments are
generally engines of corruption, and the bigger the government, the
more corruption is produces. God, however, is not an author or
sponsor of evil. He does not even tempt us to evil (James 1:13).
The wickedness and decadence of a society come from the heart of
man.
God is alive. He is acting. He
responds as well as initiates. But He also has laws in place, both
physical and spiritual. Bad choices have consequences, as do good
choices. When a person, a people, a nation or an empire makes
consistently wrong, stupid, unwise, or evil choices, they are going
to reap the harvest.
Sometime, several years ago now,
writing here, I talked about a remnant. God always has a remnant
like the 7000 He spoke of to Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). I believe that
the remnant has been praying and seeking God, and I
believe that God has responded with an awakening. That doesn't mean
I think any kind of utopia is coming, and it is certainly not a time
to become comfortable or complacent spiritually. I still believe
that hard times are ahead, possibly much chaos, division, violence,
even bloodshed.
Being awake, watching and praying, doesn't mean we
won't have to deal with danger, trouble, and strife; it just means we
will be ready for it when it comes. Now is not the time to go back to
sleep. No great victory has been won. The enemy is not going to
surrender. It is, though, the time to connect, to reach out, to build up from
the foundation of the remnant. The next battle is going to be
harder, the enemy more conniving and subtle.
The devil has, for the
last few years, overplayed his hand. Sin makes sin bold. Sin always emboldens itself when
it faces no apparent rebuke, but sin, when it is underground and out
of sight, may still grow and burst forth in unexpected places.
Scandals in the church house, failures by those we trust, betrayals,
cowardice -- these are great dangers in a time of awakening. We must
guard against discouragement and being disheartened.
The standardbearers are neither perfect
nor invulnerable. The banner is what must be upheld and looked to,
not the ones who bear it. Our standard is Jehovah-Nissi (Exodus
17:15). Our God does reign.
