Jesus Is the Hope of the World, Not the President

Politics will not cure all of our problems.

Democracy will not save us.

Jesus is the hope of the world, not the president.

I write this on election day before we discover who will win this controversial nomination as the next President of the United States.

Many people have cast their vote and their hope in one candidate or the other.

People get crazy about politics.

Both candidates are painting themselves as the savior and the other as the enemy. The mudslinging is coming from both sides.

On both sides of the aisle, many see it as a battle of good versus evil.

And if we are not careful, we start treating a presidential candidate as the only hope for America.

Understand This: Neither Will Save You.

Now, before you get upset and send me angry emails, please hear me out.

I am not advocating one candidate over the other here. I have already formed my opinion and cast my vote—as I believe all Christians should.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t care about the presidential race. I believe that this election is critical for the future of the United States of America.

Everyone should educate themselves on the issues. Everyone should vote.

But please, please, please don’t be so naive as to think that one man or woman is the solution to all of our problems.

If all our hope rests with one person, we are doomed.

We are only setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Why? Because the Bible Tells Us So.

In Psalm 146, we read:

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.(Psalm 146:3-4 ESV)

One day these people will pass away, just like every other person before them.

Their power has an expiration date.

Their plans won’t last forever.

Sooner or later, someone else will come along and change what they have done for better or worse.

A political leader is not the answer.

There is Hope!

So what is the answer?

Psalm 146 continues to say:

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless,  but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (Psalm 146:5-8 ESV)

People are temporary. God is eternal (Psalm 90:2).

People change their minds. God never changes (Malachi 3:6).

People lie. God always speaks the truth (Hebrews 6:18).

People fail to keep promises. God always keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19).

Plans fade away. People fade away. Entire nations fade away.  But God remains the same (Isaiah 40:8).

So in the midst of the turmoil of this election season, let us not lose sight of the real source of our hope.

America, or any other nation, will not be changed from the top political leaders, down. Real change happens one person at a time—one life radically changed by Christ at a time.

The church’s mission is not to change our politicians; it is to change our people. And when people are changed, politicians will change as well.

Real change doesn’t come from the top down; it comes from the bottom up.

Jesus is our only hope. Not any politician.

In God we trust.

So let’s keep our heads up and moving forward. We have a lot of work to do.