Few things stir our emotions like seeing someone “get away with murder,” our way of referring to a devious person who did something absolutely terrible and yet got off scot free. And all the while these law-evaders laugh us to scorn, as if to say, “And there’s nothing you can do about it!” How frustrating and enraging.
The movie industry plays into these emotions too, as the good guy gets framed for what the bad guy did. We know what really happened, but the people on the screen do not. We are outraged, and there is nothing we can do about it. Nothing except keep watching with the hope that justice will eventually get done.
The world of professional wrestling thrives on these same emotions, as the crowd goes crazy when the honest and iconic hero gets robbed of a hard-earned victory by the despicable, cunning villain. Everyone in the audience saw what happened, but the referee missed it. Trickery triumphed over fairness, and a miscarriage of justice took place in plain sight. How can this be?
That’s how many Americans are feeling about the elections right now.
They are convinced that the votes of more than 73 million citizens were overturned by fraud. They feel sure that, in plain sight and with the complicity of elected officials, a presidential election was stolen. They truly believe that the country they love could be irretrievably lost because of the dishonest tactics of the left.
Worse still, if this describes your feelings right now, the matter is out of your hands.
You can pray. You can hope. You can express your frustration. But others will make the final decision, most likely the courts. What can you do?
Roger Kimball, writing at American Greatness, expressed his own opinion candidly, saying, “Many people, including some good friends, believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square.
“Many others—and I place myself among them—believe that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or, to be more specific, in the cities of Milwaukee, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, not to mention Maricopa County, Arizona. I think what happened was so rotten that I regard the election as illegitimate.”
And so he asks, “what of those nearly 74 million people who voted for Trump, who are convinced that the election was stolen, and who see in the process, not an affirmation of orderliness but a permanent betrayal? What of them?”
His answer: “Hard cheese, probably.”
To paraphrase, “It’s just your tough luck, chump. You might as well accept it.”
Not the most consoling words, for sure.
As Kimball and others fear, even if there was a way to demonstrate fraud, there might not be time to do it before Joe Biden is officially declared to be our next president. What then, do you with your emotions, with your sense of outrage, with your feeling of righteous indignation?
This is where, for people of faith, God must come into the picture, and at center stage, at that. This is where the lessons of Scripture must come alive in a practical way, a way that we can apply to our lives. As Paul wrote, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4, speaking in particular of the Old Testament writings).
Paul’s words, of course, were not meant to encourage passivity or inaction. Absolutely not. Nor is that my intent in quoting his words today.
The crucial Senate races remain in Georgia.
There will still be time to demonstrate fraud, even if the election cannot be overturned once Biden is installed. At least the truth can be revealed.
And if the election was, in fact, rigged (for my own view, see here), a battle can be fought to reform our voting system before 2022. (For the latest data on potential fraud, see here.)
Plus, we have more than enough to fight for on plenty of fronts regardless of who is in the White House. The culture wars and the battle for the soul of our nation will continue to blaze with intensity, and it’s a matter of all hands on deck if we are to bring about positive change.
But I’m focusing here on our attitude, on our state of mind, on our emotions.
Job 5:13 states that God “catches the clever in their craftiness and thwarts the plan of the cunning.” Put another way, what goes around, comes around. The Lord will make sure of it.
The Book of Esther provides a vivid commentary on this, as Haman, the villain of the story, plotted to wipe out the Jewish people, with special plans for Mordechai, the Jew whom Haman hated most of all. He even constructed a 50-foot pole on which he would impale (or, hang) Mordechai.
But that’s not what happened.
Instead, through God’s providential intervention in response to His people’s fasting, the Jews were able to defend themselves to the point of crushing their enemies. As for Haman, he was impaled (or, hung) on the very pole he constructed. As for Mordechai, he became a right-hand man to the king. What a drastic (and totally unexpected) turn of events!
Obviously, this does not always happen in history, at least not this quickly. But in the end, no one gets away with anything. We will absolutely reap what we sow. All of us. That’s why I pity those who try to rob justice. It will not end well for them.
To quote Paul again, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8).
Not only so, but even in the midst of human corruption and evil, God will work things for the greater good of His people (see Romans 8:28). You can count on it.
In the next few days, major election-related decisions will be made by the courts, followed by an official declaration of the electoral votes. So, now is the perfect time for all believers on all sides of the political spectrum to pray fervently for truth and justice. Isn’t that what we all want?
If there is no substantial fraud, let it be demonstrated. If there is substantial fraud, let all of it come to light. Let us pray with focus and passion.
But let us also trust God. He is not a passive bystander. He will catch the cunning in their own craftiness. And no matter what Satan or society bring against us, the Lord will turn things for our good.
So, have faith. God will be still God and His kingdom will still advance on the earth no matter who does what on the earth. And if I sound like a broken record in saying this, it’s because we need to hear these truths over and again in these volatile times.
Let me also encourage you again to meditate on Psalm 37. Truth and justice will triumph in the end. Count on it – or, better still, count on Him.
