Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

James

Let Us Pray

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I am convicted we who are followers of Jesus are not spending enough time in prayer. We wring our hands about the state of the world and continued attacks on Christianity while neglecting to do the one thing we can do to change it all: pray. Too many of our prayers have become rote and boring. We pray before our meals, before shutting down at night, and perhaps even first thing in the morning.

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But how many of those prayers are for other people, our country, our leaders, persecuted brothers and sisters, or for the lost around the globe? Our prayers are too selfish, too mechanical, and too safe. We need to open our hearts and pour out our cries before the Lord. Let us pray prayers that will move the heart of God rather than bring us more comfort and success.

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Trust Him

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It is not uncommon when praying to reason with God and present our arguments why He should grant our requests. The idea would be laughable if not so common. While God wants us to bring our petitions before Him (Philippians 4:6), when we do so, we should simply lay them at His feet. God knows everything we need (Matthew 6:31-33) and has the context of every person and event past, present, and future.

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Therefore, He alone can make the wisest decision regarding our appeal. When we go on about why Jesus should give us what we are asking for, we make ourselves a foolish babbler, filling our prayers with many words that impress no one except ourselves. Again, Jesus knows what we need before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:7-8). We can trust Him, and we must if we want to have a vibrant prayer life.

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Trust God’s Word

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Early in the book of Genesis, there’s a familiar passage that’s one of those that is easy to gloss over because it is so familiar, or we fail to see its relevance in our world. Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it Him as righteousness.” Abram simply believed what God told Him, trusted it would come to pass, and as a result, God blessed Him and considered Abram to be His friend (James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8).

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It was a simple interaction. God spoke to Abram, Abram believed God, Abram received God’s blessing, and his relationship with His Creator flourished. When God speaks to us, do we believe Him? Do we trust He will do what He says He will do? As we read through Scripture, do we trust God’s Word, or do we only hope or wish it to be true?

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We’re Not Home

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As we go about our lives, it’s easy to forget we’re not home. If you have accepted the fact Jesus is Lord of your life, the place you live is not your home. We are here for only a little while, and then we can finally go home (2 Corinthians 4:17). If you’re discouraged by the events of this life, know whatever you are going through is temporary. It will not last forever.

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For followers of Jesus, we know His love is on the other side of our pain. Sometimes we get so caught up in this present world, we forget we’re not home. We live as if this is all there is, but all this is more temporary than any of us could imagine. The purpose of this life is to prepare us for the next.

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Election Day

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The day after this post publishes, it will be election day in the United States. Each election cycle in recent memory has grown more vicious, more distasteful, and more divisive. It’s not a good trend. I don’t care if you are an Independent, Libertarian, Republican, or Democrat, if you are reading this blog I hope you are finding your identity in Jesus Christ and nowhere else.

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The day after election day, half the country will rejoice, and half will be on the verge of despair. If you can believe the media (a dicey proposition these days), civil unrest will follow the election regardless of results. As followers of Jesus, this is our opportunity to show the love of Christ to those around us and around the world.

Please recognize no matter how dire the apocalyptic warnings preceding the election, no matter how violent the social media-fueled response to the results, our hope is in the Lord. Neither candidate will usher in the Kingdom of God. Only Jesus will do that. The President of the United States will never be the savior of the world. History shows our lives won’t change dramatically over the next four years. Some experts are saying this election is different, and the effect of the results will dramatically alter the trajectory of our country. I don’t know who is right. I do know Jesus is the same today as He will be the day after the election and for an eternity to come.

We do a disservice to the glory of Jesus when we as His followers put politics before the mission of Christ. Our mission will always be to further God’s Kingdom here on earth. This won’t change, no matter the extent of our freedom. We must keep our eye on the ball. Jesus must remain our focus. If our freedoms increase after the election, we must not squander the opportunity to be the light to a broken world. If our freedoms retract, we must shine brightly through persecution just as our brothers and sisters around the world do every day.

Voting is an enormous privilege and responsibility. As an American, please exercise this right and go to the polls to cast your vote after praying for wisdom and guidance. Be thankful we have this wonderful opportunity. After voting, I encourage you to pray for peace, soberness of mind, and civility. As a nation, we are desperate for an intervention of God’s grace and mercy. Pray this election will lead many more to come to Him. That is all that matters.

On election day, do not fear. Love God and love others. Do not be afraid to go to the polls. It is the Lord your God who goes with you into battle (Deuteronomy 31:6). Rejoice in insults and persecution (Luke 6:22-23; John 15:19-21). Understand Jesus endured the same, and by going through this, you are identifying with Him. The most important thing I want to impress upon you is to keep your eyes on Jesus and your identity firmly grounded in Him. We cannot control the outcome of an election, but we can rejoice in being part of God’s elect. Our time on this earth is brief (James 4:14) and we should spend our days reflecting Jesus and telling others of His amazing love. We will spend eternity in His presence. Focus there. This world will pass away. Jesus remains. Jesus rules in power. He loves you, and that will not change based on who is in the White House.