Here is an article written by my friend John Aker, former pastor and current Healthcare CEO, on Wednesday, following the Presidential election. I think you will appreciate it, so I send it along with John’s permission. You may contact him at jba@akerjba.com to comment or to receive future posts on his The Forward Edge of Battle Area installments:
Dear Friends on The Forward Edge of Battle…
Greetings in The Master’s Name!
And, in His Name be courageous…do not fret or fear…but take heart and be at peace…
As of this writing, I know not who will sit in The White House, but I know personally That One Who sits on The Throne–and I choose to dwell in His Shelter and abide in His Shadow…
Scripture cautions us about singing glad songs to a heavy heart. And while I truly wish to respect this admonition, for the many whose hearts are heavy these days I want to share some truths that I pray will gladden your hearts.
My window looks out on a world so very different from the one in which I enjoyed my childhood, young adulthood, and even my middle and later years. America has changed and it seems to be at a place where the change may become even more noticeable and less bearable–unless you choose to dwell in the Shelter of The Most-High and to abide in the Shadow -of The Almighty. And the choice, with all its attendant consequences is yours…
So, think of these truths…
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
Psalm 11:3
There can be no doubt that the anti-God squad is achieving its objectives and the good old boys of the Democratic Party are following these little girls around like adoring puppies at their heels. The Judeo-Christian principles upon which this once-great-nation was founded are offensive to the anti-God squad and The Left that is now lock-stepped with them. The elimination of the phrase under God from the pledge of allegiance at the opening of The Democratic National Convention was neither an oversight, not a simple slip–and do not be fooled, it was no small thing. They have evicted God from the schoolhouse, The House in Congress, and they want God, and anyone who would speak on His behalf, out of The White House. They have nothing but lip service for Him–and they want nothing from His Word.
Help, LORD, for the godly disappear from among the sons of men…
Psalm 12:1
You might almost think David was walking down the Halls of Congress when he penned those words. Please, do not be so narrow-minded as to think the swamp is only on one side of the aisle. The AIDS syndrome is endemic throughout our Nation’s Capital–Acquired Integrity Deficiency Syndrome. The credentials of many who sought political office in this last general election, as well as many currently holding office, reflected a serious deficiency of integrity and morality. And for so many Americans this was just ho-hum. Well, the sad thing about corruption is that it originates in a complacency that leads to compromise–and it is contagious! And when good men like John James run for office, they are too often defeated by do-nothing politicians like Gary Peters who are backed by big-buck liberal politicos.
But Psalm 12 says more!
The words of The LORD are pure words,
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth,
Refined seven times…
Psalm 12:6
What are those words. Well, here are just a few that offer comfort and strength to those who will believe them:
Why are the nations restless
And the peoples plotting in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers conspire together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
Let’s tear their shackles apart
And throw their ropes away from us!
He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain…
Psalm 2:1-6
(The Lord has the last word…and the last laugh)
The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;
The promises of Thy love, O LORD, are everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Thy Hands…
Psalm 138:8
(I am secure and safe in His Hands because His promises of love never fail)
Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Well, even these may forget,
But I will never forget you.
Look, you are engraved on the palms of My hands…
Isaiah 49:15-16
(God will never forget His love and promises to me.
My person and His love for me is ever before His eyes
In the only man-made things in heaven–
The wounds in my Savior’s Hands!)
Wednesday morning, the day after Election Day, Joyce Kaufman of 850 AM Radio, Ft Lauderdale, Florida said words to this effect:
I really did not vote for a person…
I voted for the freedom to worship my God…
I voted for The Police and The Military…
I voted for The Unborn…
I voted for a country that would support Israel…
I voted for peace in The Mid-East…
I voted for secure borders
And for these reasons and many more,
I voted for the only politician who, in my lifetime,
Has kept his campaign promises!
And Greg Gutfeld of The Five, as I only briefly remember, and somewhat in my words, said:
Come On, get your face up off the floor!
We won!
Yes, we did, we won!
200 Federal Judges, Thee Supreme Court Justices,
Mid-East Peace Treaties,
A respected presence round the world…
And so much more…
We won!
Do not, again, DO NOT, allow the unknowable, although unacceptable, to be unbearable. What can the righteous do when the foundations are destroyed. Three things:
VOTE
I did!
PRAY
I did…I do…and I shall continue!
TRUST
I do…because…
I know Whom I have believed,
and I am convinced that
He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him…
II Timothy 1:12
What have I entrusted to Him? My treasures: Rose, my dear wife…our daughters, Laura Lynn, Natalie Anne, and Jana Marie…their husbands, Lance, Trent, and Matthew…our twenty-one grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. And my own life, as unworthy as I am of His great love. But it is that love that secures all I entrust to Him. And I am at peace–even with the unknowable!
Some last thoughts:
Do not fear those who can kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul;
Rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell…
Matthew 10:28
I will never desert you,
Nor will I ever forsake you,
So, we confidently say,
The LORD is my helper,
I will not be afraid.
What shall man do to me?
Hebrews 13:5-6
And those who know Thy Name
Will put their trust in Thee;
For Thou, O LORD,
Hast not forsaken those who seek Thee!
Psalm 9:10
You voted…you have prayed, and you continue to pray. Now trust…just trust…and keep on trusting…and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus…
And that is my prayer for you personally, dear friend…
With you in His Great and Gracious Hands
John B. Aker
YOU and GOD 