A Lectionary Prophecy for Election Day

Today on this election day take heed to what conveniently coincidentally prophetically resounds from the morning Psalm in today’s reading from the Revised Common Lectionary:

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 146:1-10)

Whoever wins or loses they are not to be trusted…I mean it.  God is to be trusted because he reigns for ever. Princes and elected officials end up pushing daisies like the rest of us.  And, what’s more, whenever a politician does something in line with our Christian values and ideals we must remember it is not him or her who does it but God, for he is the one who sets prisoners free (poverty; corruption; racism; oppression; innocence), opens the eyes of the blind (healthcare), executes justice (Supreme Court justices, courts, law), gives food to the hungry (welfare, entitlements, poverty), and watches over the strangers (immigration issues).  God is the orchestrator of all these things in a mysterious way that we cannot comprehend…but he is sovereign and helpful, so do not place your trust in those perish with their five point plans.

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