Diary of a Broken Vessel

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
-Titus 3:1-7

I’ve been thinking a lot about the upcoming elections and my career in the military. It looks like it is all coming down to McCain, Obama, and Clinton, and I have to wonder how low we have set our standards to allow these to become the final three to choose from to become the next President of the United States. I cannot believe that we’ve done it again and are down to forcing ourselves to choose the lesser evil rather than the best candidate.

I’ve been worried about what is going to happen to the military when the next Commander and Chief assumes command. With one I foresee a downsizing and a weakening of our defenses. With another I foresee a build up, but again war will be considered as a first choice tactic rather than a last resort. And the last could go either way. I’m worried about our own economy and our own backyard remembering that Rome first fell because of internal collapse. The dollar is falling, politicians are mudslinging, wars are erupting, terrorism is flaring, the earth is warming, what the heck are we doing policing other countries when we can’t keep our own in check, natural disasters are getting out of hand, the Middle East runs rampant with blood, we celebrate misery and terror in our media, we glorify heartache and broken homes, we brutalize morality, and everything is so bloody relative.

Sometimes I wonder if God really is in control of this disaster, and how we can be called to be subject to these authorities.

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

God is sovereign over all things, and I have nothing to worry about when I remember this simple Truth. In fact trusting in God demands that I “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let [my] requests be made known to God…” (Philippians 4:6) All things are in God’s hands and He is using these things -the good, the bad, and even the ugly- for His purposes. Purposes I cannot even begin to fathom.

I really should not allow these upcoming elections define whether or not I should stay in or leave the military. My ear should only be inclined to God’s voice. God has allowed these individuals to get this far for reasons of His own will, and He’ll ultimately have say over who will or will not be leading this country -not because we are a Christian nation because we are not, but because He is sovereign.

Whoever is chosen as our next president is not really my concern. I’ll cast my vote (yes, I’m writing someone in simply out of conscience), but ultimately let God be God. Whether our king is wise or a fool it will not neglect my responsibilities as a child of God to “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” (Titus 3:1)

God’s in control, and whether this is the end or we still have thousands of years to go does not matter; what matters is whether or not I am heeding the call that the Lord has for my life. Am I using my gifts and my talents to point the world to Christ? Am I proclaiming God even in my most broken moments? This is all that matters now. The Lord will provide for my needs, and for the needs of my family, “but if not” (Daniel 3:1 God is still God.