Psalms 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

This Psalm is loaded with potent truth, a lot of which has been turned into songs. Verse one is already chosen as the verse for the year, and I’ve already prepared sermon notes on it for Sunday. This passage struck me as particularly topical because of all the election mess, and really all the political turmoil over the past several years. There will always be people, not only in government (but certainly there), whose thirst for power makes them completely available to the devil. That has been true throughout human history, as the Faust story shows. The only genuine answer is to depend on God. He can and does raise up leaders who are pleasing to Him and good for the people, but even those leaders are fallible, as kings David and Hezekiah and others demonstrated. America is in the historically unique position of having been a democratic republic for over 200 years, so by the Constitution, the people are the rulers, but when the people fail to seek God, all sorts of junk rises to the surface, as we are seeing right now. There are some good, honorable people in leadership on just about every level, but there are also numbers of incredibly perverse individuals, and God is the only ultimate solution. We have just a few days to the runoff elections in Georgia that will determine the political majority in the Senate, but elections as such, specifically in Georgia, are certainly suspect at this point. We are to be faithful in whatever role we are given (and mine is simply prayer) but our trust, our reliance, must be in God rather than in any human agent. There are far too many “double agents!” God is the ultimate “safe space,” and we must never forget it.

Living in Japan I have been at a remove from all the turmoil, physically speaking, but I have certainly been involved emotionally. The COVID-19 mess has directly impacted my life in various ways, including income, but not nearly as drastically as it has for so many. Countless people the world over are very relieved that 2020 is over, forgetting that the numbers on the calendar mean very little, As Jesus said explicitly, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) I am to keep looking to Him whatever the calendar says, making Him my refuge, my Lord, and my absolute standard of truth. The devil is frantic, knowing his time is short, (Revelation 12:12) but my Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. (John 1:1-3) He is more than worthy of total trust and obedience, and nothing else is.

Father, thank You for this powerful, timely reminder. I do pray for Your will to be done in the Georgia elections and in the continuing efforts for truth to prevail in the presidential election. That is the only direct impact I can have, but it is a powerful one. Thank You for all You are doing in, around, and through me. Thank You for the good Watchnight service we had last night. I do continue to pray for complete healing for that sister’s ears, that they would be no hindrance to her learning Japanese and communicating the Gospel effectively. May all the desires expressed be fulfilled in Your way on Your schedule for Your glory, that this would be a year of kingdom harvest indeed. Thank You. Hallelujah!