Exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another. —Psalm 75:6,7
"God gives us the leaders we deserve." It’s an old and apt saying. We vote our conscience, but God determines the outcome. Aye, “'Tis mystery all!”
We go for the game-changers, the movers and shakers, men and women who get things done. God, however, establishes the human framework of a nation: "I myself set up her pillars" (75:3). He raises up rulers—able leaders, fools and naves—to get His work done.
Here's Paul's take: "For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth" (Romans 9:17).
Pharaoh? A pompous, egocentric, duplicitous fool. Yet God in His wisdom exalted this man to bring salvation to His people and ultimately to the entire world.
So let's not panic when elections don’t go our way, nor should we rail against those that God has chosen. He will render justice at the proper time (75:2). In the meantime, he's working in and through those He has chosen to accomplish His will.
That's true of the state we're in right now.
David Roper
