Ah, its\u2019 election year again.
\nThis time of year brings so many things to the surface. Sadly, not all good things either.
\nI get so frustrated watching the news with what seems to be obvious bias for one candidate or party and the seemingly blatant disregard for impartiality. I get discouraged over the way people treat each other on the campaign trail and say whatever seems to be the most impactful at the time. I tire of listening to promises being made that seem outlandish and only for the moment. I confess that it is quite frightening to me to think that our future is in the hands of people who seem to have lost their grip on reality and have no idea what it\u2019s really like to live in the \u201cLand of the free and home of the brave\u201d! It can overwhelm me to think that someone who doesn\u2019t put gas in their own vehicles can impact my ability to put gas in mine; that someone who hasn\u2019t had to pay for insurance can dictate how much I pay for mine. Any of this sound familiar? Am I the only one who has anxiety about this?
\nWait. <\/p>\n
Take a step back. <\/p>\n
Breathe.
\nI seem to have forgotten something.
\nI am a Christian. I am a follower and believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has made me some promises for times like this.
\nWhen my overactive imagination and way too powerful anxiety begin to take over, God in His gentle, loving but firm way reminds me to go to His word.
\nIn it I find over and over that He is sovereign. He is on His throne always. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He loves me.
\nI have had the privilege of walking through a study of the book of Daniel for the last several weeks and while I am blown away by the amazing stories of the fiery furnace, hanging out with some seriously big kitties, and holy graffiti, there is one set of scripture in this book that has landed squarely in my heart and races through my mind for such a time as this.
\n\u201cHe said, \u201cPraise the name of God forever and ever, for He has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though He is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we have asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.\u201d Daniel 2:21-23
\nThe context of this scripture is Daniel and his buddies, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, are asking God to tell them what the dream was that King Nebuchadnezzar had and the meaning of it in order to save the lives of many.
\nThis scripture has served to remind me that God is in control. Period. He was then, He is now and He will be long after I\u2019m gone. The fact that He is the One that \u201cremoves kings and sets up other kings\u201d has given me cause for pause. I can rest in that. I can believe that He will put whomever He chooses in the White House and while I may not understand His actions, I can trust His plan.
\nI may or may not agree with who sits in the highest seat in our nation, but humbly bow to the One who \u201creveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies in darkness\u201d.
\nSo, for those of us who can get a little riled about the current political situation, let\u2019s set our focus and hope on the One who \u201ccontrols the course of world events\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ah, its\u2019 election year again. This time of year brings so many things to the surface. Sadly, not all good things either. I get so frustrated watching the news with what seems to be obvious bias for one candidate or party and the seemingly blatant disregard for impartiality. I get discouraged over the way people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kathyaddis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}