It looked like it was all over — 30 leaders thrown in slave labor camp in a region of Myanmar. That was 2006, and I didn’t know what to do, especially considering those captured included all of our key leaders. Our work in the region was hanging by a slender thread, it was over but for God.
The US elections are hanging on a thin strand. I’ve read both conservative and mainline press. Most people feel it’s too late for Trump to win. I’m telling you it is not. I’m not telling you this as a Trump fan. I’m telling you this because we need to understand that God is in control of this election, not the democrats or the republicans, God.
I’ve learned over the years by slamming into some hard dead ends that it isn’t over until it is over. That is God’s prerogative. Winning the race is not Trump’s or Biden’s call. During this season there is going to be some confronting going on, especially regarding vote recounts. We need bipartisan viewers during these recounts so both sides can trust that the process was truthful and a sense of justice can be restored to our land. Right now it is hard for us to know who to believe. There is so much information and bias to filter through.
We all know America the beautiful is fractured. When you look over the voting map you see large cities are predominantly democrat and rural area are predominantly republican. I don’t think it is simply an education divide. I think we need to pray into how this city versus countryside reflects American politics and what God’s wisdom has to say.
In the next steps forward for closure and justice, how will we treat those who we feel are unjust? Raging is not a useful thing. Our first priority is loving our enemies, our opponents, our ideological nemeses.
Here are two useful ways to consider these people:
Redefine your enemy as a friend
Jesus had very aggressive enemies that desperately wanted to kill him and stop his movement. How did he deal with his hecklers? He confronted when it kept others from being healed or forgiven. But importantly, Jesus loved enemies so deeply he willingly died for them to make them friends. And it is this kind of love, fashioned like a cross, this kind of thinking and acting that lit a fire of good news in the early church.
Today is perhaps a better day than ever to pause and ask yourself, “How do I feel about my political enemy?” Would Jesus wash the feet of Trump? Would he suffer and be shamed to save Biden?
Loving an enemy is confrontational
Our love challenges people with higher impact than our frantic anger ever can. Love for enemies is God-like (see Matthew 5:43-48). It is powerful, and combined with the pursuit of truth, it has the capacity to bring justice. Enemies are confronted by real love.
I recently wrote a small book, a 30-day prayer guide on loving enemies that will launch you on a great journey. You might have heard me mention it in previous posts, but I can’t think of a better historical moment in time to share this with you. Link below:
Love Your Enemy: A 30-Day Guide For Radical Expressions Of Faith
First seven days free athttps://in-fire.org/lye