In my previous posts on politics, I first stated that I firmly believe that God is ultimately responsible for the leaders we get, directing the results of elections to give us leaders according to His will - either leaders who will act as a judgment on a rebellious nation, as in Isaiah 3 and Jeremiah 52; or leaders who represent his mercy towards a repentant nation. We can never say "don't blame me, I didn't vote for him," because in fact, we have gotten the leader we deserved - unless God has mercy on us.
In my second post, I elaborated on my own particular political position; I am committed to vote pro-life no matter what, but other than the war in Iraq, my other issues are more or less flexible (though I certainly lean to the right). I also briefly explained my support for Mike Huckabee.
In reaction to yesterday's primary, I will comment briefly - according to my criteria previously explained, I'm open to the possibility of voting for McCain. I'm also open to the possibility of voting for Romney, though frankly, he makes me nervous for several reasons. But I don't consider Huckabee out of the race yet; God is not limited to what is "probable" in the political process - in fact, as an old gospel song says, "Faith laughs at impossibilities and cries 'It shall be done!'" If it is God's decree that Mike Huckabee will be president, it will happen.
That brings me to my topic for today's post. As I talk about "voting on my knees" and praying for leaders, what am I actually praying for? Am I praying for Mike Huckabee to become president of the United States?
No.
What I'm praying is that God would give us a leader - according to His mercy, rather than according to what we deserve - who would meet His requirements for a righteous ruler. Those requirements are given in 2 Samuel 23 (in the last words of David):
3 The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just,
Ruling in the fear of God.4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,
By clear shining after rain.’
The two requirements to be a righteous ruler before God are:
- The leader must be just.
- He (or she) must lead in the fear of God.
In essence, these requirements are for horizontal and vertical rightness. The leader must behave righteously towards those he leads, embodying justice; and the leader must behave righteously before God, acknowledging God's sovereignty, and striving for obedience to His word.
David goes on to say that he actually did not meet these requirements himself. David is as close as Israel ever got to a king who was truly just and ruled in the fear of God, however. So what we are actually praying for when we ask God for a leader like this is for the return of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom on earth. He is the only One who truly delights in the fear of God (Isaiah 11:3) and will bring forth justice to all nations (Isaiah 42:1).
But we can nonetheless pray for leaders who will embody these requirements in the same way that David did - imperfectly, but with an intention of heart to strive for these two standards.
Derek Prince, in his excellent book, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting summarizes this prayer neatly through an example from his own experience in World War 2. After describing the incompetence and shameful self-indulgence of the British officers responsible for the humiliation of the Allies at the hands of the Germans in North Africa , he writes:
During the long and demoralizing retreat to the gates of Cairo, God laid on my heart a burden of prayer, both for the British forces in the desert and for the whole situation in the Middle East. Yet I could not see how God could bless leadership that was so unworthy and inefficient. I searched in my heart for some form of prayer that I could pray with genuine faith and that would cover the needs of the situation. After a while, it seemed that the Holy Spirit gave me this prayer: "Lord, give us leaders such that it will be for Your glory to give us victory through them."
(From Chapter 5, Seeing History Shaped through Prayer and Fasting)
Prince goes on to describe the removal of the incompetent officers by the British high command and the death of the designated replacement officer by enemy fire. Through these events, in answer to Prince's prayer, God sovereignly orchestrated the arrival of General B.L. Montgomery, a God-fearing man who brought justice, discipline, morale, and eventually victory to the Allies in North Africa. Prince ends this section with this comment:
I believe that the prayer that God gave me at that time could well be applied to other situations, both military and political: "Lord, give us leaders such that it will be for Your glory to give us victory through them."
This, then is what I am praying. Lord, give us a president in 2008 who will lead us in justice and the fear of God; a president such that it will be for Your glory to bring blessing and restoration to America in these days.
In Jesus name. Lord have mercy on America!
