The Sovereignty of God & the U.S. Presidential Election

Note: I wrote the following article on Election Day 2012. I think it’s as relevant and timely now as it was then:

Today is an exciting day because it is Election Day in the U.S. The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will probably have a significant impact on what will happen during the next four years in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere in the world. As I write this, there are political activists who are trying to rally support for their respective candidate and political analysts who are trying to figure out who will win.

I am not going to voice any opinion about the candidates today since my opinion of the candidates is irrelevant and many of you probably have formed strong opinions about the candidates. Instead, I think it would be a good idea to remind people who have a strong preference about which candidate wins that the outcome of this election is under the sovereignty of God.

I noted in another article, that Acts 17:26 indicates that God’s sovereignty includes determining the fate of nations:

“(24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (25) Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; (27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: (28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:24-28)

The person who is most often in the best position to influence the fate of a particular nation is the leader of that nation. Daniel 2:20-21 tells us that God’s sovereignty extends to determining who shall lead people:

(20) Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: (21) And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:” (Daniel 2:20-21)

Further confirmation that God is sovereign over who leads can be found in the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, and 1 Samuel.

“(5) Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, (6) Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! (7) He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; (8)That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” (Psalm 113:5-8)

“(15) By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. (16) By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (Proverbs 8:15-16)

“(7) The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. (8) He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.” (1 Samuel 2:7-8)

Given that God is sovereign over who leads a particular nation, it is reasonable to think that any one of the candidates competing in this election cannot win this election unless God permits him/her to win. Given God’s sovereignty, one could further argue that the candidate who wins this election may the “best-suited” to advancing God’s plan for the U.S. and for the world (as the U.S. still plays a big role in the world) regardless of whether you or I think the candidate’s policies are good for the well-being of the country and/or for the world.

The impression you might get from reading this article is that I do not think you should care about who wins this election. This impression is incorrect.  I actually think people should care about who wins because the person who wins this election will probably have a significant impact on what will happen during the next four years in the U.S. and perhaps elsewhere in the world. The outcome of this election may provide us a good indication of where the U.S. and where the world might be heading over the course of the next four years.