Tuesday 20 October 2015

The Result of the Canadian Federal Elections


        Yesterday was Election Day. The Canadian Federal Elections where we choose our government for the next four years. And as I was listening to a classical music radio station which was giving updates on the polls late last night, the announcement came in that Canadians have now elected a Liberal majority government. (For Americans, this would be similar to having lived with Reagan for three terms, and then voting in [name retracted - rather, in hindsight, either of the two candidates remaining - Ed.] with a majority vote.) This does not bode well for Christians and for what remains of the moral capital we have left.

        Abortion, euthanasia, legal drugs – all of these are supported in some way or another by our new government. While former Prime Minister Steven Harper and his Conservatives were not perfect, at least they did not drive our country exceedingly fast on the road toward an utter disregard for ethical freedoms, moral failure, and economic decline. This is what I anticipate will happen with our new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberals. However, that is not what I fear.

        After the last political update on the radio, a piece of music started playing. That piece was the Halleluiah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The words, taken straight from Scripture, say this: “Halleluiah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! And he shall reign forever and ever.*” I do not fear a new government. I fear the One who reigns over Canada, and all its petty political squabbles. I do not fear a government which can enact almost anything it wants. I fear the One who controls all things in light of His sovereign plan.

        What happens in the next four years is not out of God’s jurisdiction. However, he may be warning us, as nation, of what will happen when we do not abide by His laws. It says in Deuteronomy 28 that “if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you...until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.” Christians and non-Christians alike must suffer God’s judgement for sin. Christians, though, have the hope of future glory, when Christ will come again and make all things new. But for those who do not know the Gospel there will only be death.

        Now, more than ever before, we need to seek the Lord in prayer, asking Him to bring about change in our hearts, first of all, and then in those who need His grace, forgiveness, and love. We cannot change the moral compass of a nation by voting in a ‘better’ government. A government cannot make a Christian nation. We can, on the other hand, seek to preach the Gospel. It alone changes people’s hearts and makes them want to serve the One who rules over all. So, in light of this Canadian Federal election, my takeaway is this: Seek the Lord, preach the Gospel, and live in light of the Truth.

Written and Posted by William A. Moore
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*Revelation 19:6