NEWBORNS AND PRESIDENTS

Do you know much about Walt Disney? Me, either. But it's a good guess that Mr. Walt must have been a total kid-at-heart. All we have to do to know him is to look at the things his creativity brought to life. Wonder how many, many little eyes have grown wide over what Walt Disney imagined. That's a delightful legacy.

In the same way, we can know about God from the things He has made. We can stand at the Grand Canyon rim and fall back at the majesty. We can feel a baby's skin and know even the plushest velvet cannot be so gentle. We hear thunder and respectfully apprehend might and

power. The Lord is seen in the world He made.

Mike and I just came home from a two week road trip to the northeast. Our appreciation for creation increased as we drank in our country's many visuals. We loved the perfect patchwork symmetry of the cornfields in Iowa and the lush green mountains of Pennsylvania. But New York City was our target.

We had a "meet and greet" in NYC with our newest little grandgirl, Lily. And we kept her two sisters for a couple of nights while Brad and Laura moved apartments. Of course, we think Lily and Hanna and Caroline are some of the Creator's finest work. But God is also a

Provider...

Stopping at three presidential libraries as we made our way north, we learned about a trio of

back-to-back presidents whose terms took us through the Depression and WW2.

We stopped overnight in Independence, Missouri to learn about Harry Truman, then stopped in a tiny town in Iowa (West Branch) to learn surprising new things about Herbert Hoover, and we stopped beside the Hudson River in New York state to check out the New Dealer, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

We were struck with these leaders' differences and similarities. Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt had an equal and intense dislike for one another. Democrat Harry Truman was fond of Republican Hoover and called on him to help in the Truman administration. They each had differing means. Truman was born to a struggling farmer, Hoover was an orphan raised by relatives who later was a self-made millionaire, and Roosevelt was born with a family tree full of dollars. They all had an Achilles heel. Hoover lost his good name because of the Depression...polio left Roosevelt with a major physical liability in his prime (age 39)...and Truman strained all his married life for the respect of his beloved Bess.

But at the end of the day, these men all worked diligently and served their country to the best of their ability. We may disagree with a particular decision made, but no one would doubt the hearts of these men to want America's best.

That made me think of government's purpose. Isn't government to be authority/structure around our lives to protect us and provide for the common good? When Mike and I considered these three Presidents, we see that the Lord gave us men equal to the times. They were willing and available men who became uncommon leaders to steer our country through peril.

In the end, their governance allowed us to live the "quiet and peaceable lives" that the Bible talks about. In 1Timothy 2 we are told to "pray for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

I read that to say...God would have us pray for our leaders so that in the safety their authority provides, our lives could be lived vertically (in godliness) and horizontally (in dignity toward others) so the gospel would have opportunity to flourish and many would come to faith.

Times were desperate when Presidents Hoover/Roosevelt devised strategies to get us out of joblessness and starvation. Times were desperate when President Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bomb and save American lives. Now here we are today in another cycle of desperate times and we LONG for sound governance. The latest Rasmussen poll indicates a -17 presidential approval index for President Obama. In fact, more than 20% of the people now think he is a Muslim. If that were true, would it be important?

God will do what He purposes. When I look back at the examples left for us in Scripture, I find examples of how God used pagan kings as instruments of His justice when He spanked Israel. Sometimes the pagans cooperated; sometimes God overruled.

Consider King Cyrus, the Persian king who in 546BC ruled the largest empire the world had ever known. The Bible talked of Cyrus 150 years before his birth. In chapter 44.28 of Isaiah, he wrote that a king named Cyrus would allow captive Israel to come back to her native land and rebuild her temple. And that is what history records. How amazing is that? (see also Ezra 1.1)

Then there's a verse in Daniel where God calls Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar "my servant". Ancient Babylon set the "wicked" standard for their day...and the King of Babylon was God's SERVANT? Yep. That is because nothing is too hard for God. King Neb did serve God, but not until he was brought to his knees.

You may also remember the story of how the Lord used Baalam's donkey to accomplish His purposes. God can use anything. So maybe we should quit worrying about whether a Muslim is in the White House. Our leader can be His instrument regardless of the leader's puny plans or the leader's cooperation.

We need to be appealing directly to God to intervene, rather than fretting about mere man. Remember that Scripture says the kings heart is in God's hand and He turns it wherever He wants (Proverbs 21.1).

But as I write this, isn't the real problem becoming obvious? Why would God want to rescue us? America was established uniquely in the world as a refuge for people to worship God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfEdJNn15E

But we have forgotten why we were founded. We have poked God in the eye over and over and insisted He wait outside while we live as we please. And now we're beginning to realize that we just might need His help. Hmm, this is familiar. Isn't that exactly what happened to Israel?

Let's pray without ceasing for God to save us from ourselves. The quiet and peaceable life that we all desire is found in Him.