A Biblical Perspective on Elections, Politics, Sovereignty, and Leadership
By Rick Thomas - Posted at Substack:
When your side wins, God approved. When your side loses, God stepped away. Both conclusions come from the same place in the heart, and Scripture corrects them both, while providing a better answer.
Every election season sends Christians looking for God’s fingerprints on the results. If our candidate wins, we see His blessing. If our candidate loses, we wonder whether He has turned His face from the nation. Both instincts start from a true premise. God “removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21), and nothing in Washington or the county courthouse happens outside His rule. But a true premise does not guarantee a sound conclusion, and the conclusions we draw from election night usually say more about our hearts than about His purposes.Gideon’s Fleece
I have counseled many people who wanted a sign more than they wanted wisdom. They watched for coincidences, open doors, and impressions that would confirm what they already desired. Gideon’s fleece became their method (Judges 6:36-40), though the Lord never offered it as a pattern for the rest of us. Election results tempt us the same way. A narrow escape, a surprise victory, or a lopsided defeat starts to look like a message from heaven. Then we interpret the message to agree with what we hoped for before the first ballot was counted, which is eisegesis applied to current events.
Consider Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Many believers saw providential protection, and they were right that God preserved his life (Psalm 31:15). The mistake was moving from preservation to endorsement. God preserves saints and scoundrels every day, and His sun rises on both (Matthew 5:45). A rescue tells you God has more for that person to do, and Scripture stops there.
