Kingdoms don’t last forever.

Neither do empires.

Or democracies.

Or republics.

Or monarchies.

I love our country. I am patriotic. I love reading about our history, and embrace our great strengths, and acknowledge our weaknesses as well. As much as I love our nation, our well-being can never come from the status or stability of America. I hope we stay strong. I hope we affect the world in good ways. I hope the people of our nation  benefit from good decisions made by our government. But I know that our government will not always make good decisions. We have made bad decisions in the past, and we will enact bad policies in the future as well.  I also know that like every other empire or world power, our time on life’s stage is limited. The United States is not the hope of the world. I hope that we offer hope where we can, and impact people for good, and believe we have at times. But the U.S. isn’t perfect, and it isn’t forever.

Our well-being can only come from a kingdom that is stable and unending. That is the kingdom that Jesus talked about during his ministry on earth. That is the kingdom he has invited us all into. It’s a kingdom that knows no geographic bounds. It’s a kingdom that is bigger than the imperfections of it’s members, because it is built on the forgiveness, grace, and power of God.

So, is it possible that the candidate we choose on November 8^th will make decisions that hurt our nation and compromise our future. Yes, it’s possible. For many people it seems probable, whichever candidate is chosen. That’s not great, but our hope is in a kingdom that will sustain us during difficult times. Jesus closed his model prayer with the assurance that the only true and lasting kingdom is in God’s hands (“thine is the kingdom”), and those hands are reliable. Your hope will only be as strong as the source of your hope. If your hope for the future relies on government and politicians, you will find yourself anxious and fearful much of the time.  If your hope is in a God who is bigger than any government, you are more likely to have a hope that endures challenging times.

So, our own prayer during the next weeks and month may need to be, “for thine is the kingdom…”. Whisper it to yourself during the day and remember it when you are falling asleep. God cares about you, and He is in control even when the world seems out of control.