Theology DOES matter

Barack Obama has been elected President (don't start with the "not until the electoral college meets, blah, blah, blah rigmarole.  The sun doesn't "rise," either, but that's what we say and we all know what it means.  Sheesh.)  My Christian buddies may throw up in their mouth at this, but I say, "Praise God."  WHAT!?!?!  "Praise God."

God is still on the throne, carrying our His perfect plan and His perfect will through His providential governance of His creation.  Free agents (man) have exercised their will and have done exactly what God ordained they do.  "But Obama's the most pro-abortion candidate for President ever!"  Yes, he is.  "Praise God."  Did I vote for Mr. Obama?  No.  "Praise God."  I mean it.  If Job can say, with assurance, when his helpmate Mrs. Job is telling him to "Curse God and die," after his livestock and servants have been slaughtered, his children killed and his health taken away (but he did still have his wife, which is another lesson for another time(!)), "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"  Now, before you go off the deep end, I am not calling Mr. Obama evil.  My point is that what happened yesterday happened because God wanted it to.  Do we see it as "good" or "evil?"  Was yesterday "good" or "evil?"  What I do know is this - it was one of those "all things" Paul speaks about in Romans 8 that God is going to work for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.  I'm sure we all have our viewpoints.  We do not, though, look at this world through anything but our own version of horse blinders.  Does not God use our choices in His sovereign, timeless governing of His creation?  I would pray Mr. Obama would "see the light," as it were, on issues such as abortion.   We all, though, were in the darkness at one point until God brought His people out of the darkness and "into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2)  Even still, we are not all perfect yet.  Not even the Republicans.  Pray for Mr. Obama, Mr. Biden, Ms. Pelosi and all those who will be leading our country.  REALLY pray that God the Holy Spirit moves upon people - including you and I -  and grants repentance and faith and submission and obedience and "...cause you (His people) to walk in my statutes." (Ezekiel 36:27)  I pray first, though,  that I would be obedient to the Light.

Which brings us to "does theology matter?"  Yes.  Mr. Obama is doing nothing more than carrying our his own theology/doctrine as he understands it.  Where did he get it?  Someone taught it to him.  Someone with a "Rev." in front of his name or someone within his church or fellowship of believers.  Was that theology openly pro-abortion?  Perhaps.  But, perhaps not.  Just what was that theology?  We don't know.  Whatever it was, it has fueled his worldview.  This is why theology DOES matter.  Just who IS God?  What does He say?  How obedient are we to be to what portion (or the entirety) of His Word?  What parts of Scripture are "culturally bound" and not applicable to us in 2008 and beyond?  Is Mr. Obama going to be President because Satan has a hold on our country and God is wringing His hands in the heavens hoping we can just "man up" and take our country back?  Is the country "ours" to begin with?

As an aside - those of us who are white can't begin to understand just what this means to the African-Americans in this country.  I tear up myself - not at Obama's victory - but at how I see people reacting to something they NEVER thought they would see in their lifetime or their children's lifetime.  Reacting not to his social agenda or economic programs or anything else other than the fact a man of his race will sit in the Oval Office.  The Shawshank Redemption line comes to mind in Andy's letter to Red: "Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."  That's not a biblical quote, but it may be where these people with tears in their eyes are at.  Now they have hope.  Not biblical hope, but a form of hope.  Even the seculars are aware of the value of hope and we see its fruit in the reactions of those yesterday.

To quote Josh Gelatt (who, of course, beat me to the punch on this.  He IS a lot younger and more fleet of brain and swift of keyboard than me) from several weeks ago, "God is a sovereign King, not a cosmic beggar."  Praise God.  From whom all blessings flow.  He knows what He's doing.  Even on November 4, 2008.