The election is over. Now what?

Yesterday was election day.  Today the election is over.  And the results are (mostly) in.

If your candidate or referendum won, then you likely are happy.  If your candidate or referendum lost, then you likely will be tempted with sadness or discouragement or even despair.

But for the believer in Christ, nothing has changed.

Not only is God not surprised with any of the results from yesterday, but He is sovereign over them and He has decreed them.  No candidate won except that God ordered that victory and no ballot issue passed except that God has designed it. [Romans 1 also tells us that some of God’s decrees are not God’s blessing, but His judgment on disobedient people, though we cannot ever say with certainty, “This is God’s judgment.”]  Whatever rulers are in place, God is still sovereign over them all and nothing is happening outside of His will.  That was true two days ago, and it is still true today.  Nothing has changed.

Additionally, the task of the believer has not changed.  Our calling is not to cultural reformation through political agenda.  Our calling is to personal transformation by means of the gospel.  Every believer has been implanted with the treasure of the gospel and he has no higher calling or purpose than to communicate that gospel and call unbelievers to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 4:1-7; 5:19-21).  So whether we “won” or “lost” last night, our purpose and responsibility are the same.  Personally, we are to be conformed to the image of Christ and then we are to use our spiritual gifts to minister to and evangelize the lost and build up and serve our brothers in Christ.

Nathan Busenitz, over at The Cripplegate, offers a fitting summary to the election and the believer’s attitude towards the election and prayers for his governmental authorities:

At the end of an intense election season, it can be easy to forget that our main mission in this world is spiritual, not political.

As Christians, we know the truth. We have the answer for our nation’s problems, the ultimate solution. It is not political, military, economic or educational. It is not about jobs, gas prices, immigration, foreign affairs, or the electoral college.

The gospel transcends politics, and we have been commissioned to take the good news of salvation to lost people who need to hear it, regardless of their political affiliations.

When we pray for our civil leaders, we are reminded of the fact that the reason we are here is to proclaim the mercies of God to a world enslaved in sin. And that’s a helpful thing to remember…especially the day after a national election.…

As we react to what happened yesterday, it is good to remind ourselves that we can keep calm and carry on.

How? By resting in the fact that God is in control; and by remembering that we, no matter what happens in the political realm, we are still called to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, being faithful to proclaim the good news of salvation to the lost world around us. [Read the entire post by Nathan Busenitz, “Evangelism & Politics”.]