Psalm 146:3–5 (NKJV)
3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lordhis God,
Recently my friend and fellow pastor Brian Nolder wrote a piece on the intersection of Christianity and the upcoming election. This morning I’d like to read sections of it for us in light of Psalm 146 that we’ve just read. He writes:
There is a lot of “doomsday” talk in this election.  “If candidate X is elected, this awful thing will happen.”  “If candidate Y is elected, America will not survive.”  And we frequently hear what we seem to hear every four years: “This election is the most important election of (my/our/your) lifetime!”

Now, I am not saying that the upcoming election is unimportant, insignificant, or inconsequential.  I’m not saying that Christians should retreat from politics or the public square.  Indeed, I think we should be far more active than we have been.

But for now, let us engage in a little thought experiment: what if all the doomsday predictions come true?  What if candidate X is elected (insert the name of your choice), and “America as we know it” ends?

Christian, remember that Jesus made a promise: “on this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18)  Read it again: “I will build my Church.”  Jesus was keeping that promise long before July 4th, 1776.  He is still keeping that promise today.  He will still be keeping that promise, even if there is no longer a spot on the map that says, “the United States of America.”

Will I be “happy” if America does not survive?  Not necessarily.  I consider myself patriotic; I count myself very blessed to have been born and raised in this country.  But I must always remember, as a Christian, that the kingdom of God is much bigger than America–indeed, that most Christians in the world today have dark skin, not light; most do not necessarily speak English–and that the kingdom of God does not, in the final analysis, depend on America.

If we take a long-range perspective, we realize that nations come and go–as do kingdoms and empires.  But while kingdoms come and go, and so do their kings, Jesus will still be building his Church.

Another reality check: go to persecution.com sometime and read about what Christian believers face in places like Saudi Arabia (a so-called “ally” of the US), North Korea, China, and even a seemingly “friendly” nation like India.  Do we think that these Christians, who are suffering, in prison, and even dying for the name of Christ, really care who will be the occupant in the White House next January?  What matters to them is that Jesus occupies the throne of heaven at God’s right hand.

I close with a portion of Psalm 146, 3000 year old words that remind us where our ultimate trust and confidence always needs to be:

Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lordhis God,
So reminded this morning that our great King Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God, let us kneel and confess that we have often put our trust in other kings.
Our Father,
We have put our trust in princes as a people. We have turned to government as the solution to our problems rather than turning to Christ. And so we have become subject to inreasing levels of intrusive government. We have thrown off self-restraint and so have brought upon ourselves shackles. Forgive us our sin – teach us to trust in you, to labor for your kingdom, and to look to the future in faith knowing that our Lord Jesus has conquered and will yet conquer again. All praise and thanks to you O Lord, Amen.