A Spiritual Perspective on the Presidential Election:
Putting politics aside, let’s look at the presidential election results from a spiritual perspective. With all of the prayer and fasting that occurred prior to the election by sincere and passionate men and women of faith, did the outcome of the election have any spiritual value or meaning? Well, I think it does and it will help all of us praying people to know that our sovereign God heard and answered our prayers, regardless of who we voted for.
There is a passage from the Old Testament that records a very important moment in the history of the Jewish people. This event occurred after Israel had been delivered from Egypt, and after the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and soon after the crossing of the Jordan River.
Joshua 5:9--Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
At Gilgal, God removed the shame of slavery that had marked Israel for over 400 years. This was a very important and meaningful pronouncement for a people who had only known slavery and second-class citizenship for centuries. In order for Israel to rise up as a nation and claim its inheritance in the Promised Land, God had to remove the reproach of slavery. A change had to occur in how Israel viewed themselves and how other nations viewed them; a new national identity had to be forged.
There are historical parallels of this event in Bible history that relate to where America is today.
Unfortunately, America and slavery have a shared history, developing together over a long period of time. Early in our country’s history, slavery, with all of its regulations and beliefs, was woven into the fabric of our society, seriously corrupting the image and mindset of a nation that was founded upon tremendous principles of liberty and freedom. The legacy of slavery has kept America divided and not fully capable of embracing its noble creed of being one nation under God, indivisible and providing justice for all. Even though slavery was abolished in 1865, the historical record of race relations in our society clearly shows that a significant breakthrough in this area was long overdue. The breakthrough came on November 4, 2008.
When an African-American was duly elected as the forty-fourth President of the United States, it shattered what had been an impenetrable glass ceiling of opportunity for minorities and women. By this election, America has crossed a ‘Jordan’, a new day has dawned, effects of a shameful past have been rolled away, and all people of America, no matter what color or ethnicity, can now feel that they are joint-heirs of the American dream and destiny.
Spiritually speaking, our nation is in major transition faced with overwhelming challenges and many unknowns. More people are turning to faith in hopes of finding answers to the complexities of life. But the Church of Jesus Christ cannot adequately respond to the needs of this hour without putting on a new wineskin of corporate identity. The Church has an image problem that needs solving.
The election results on November 4th produced a new wineskin, a new paradigm of equality. If people of faith will rightly discern the times, we can seize an unprecedented opportunity to be more unified as the Body of Christ which will result in a far greater witness of our faith throughout the nation and the world.
