(Please enjoy this insightful piece by my friend Bob Lepine, a lay pastor and the Vice President and Chief Content Officer, as well as co-host, of the radio program Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey.  Lepine also hosts Today in the Word, a syndicated Moody program that features great messages from their archives.)

Dear Friends,

I have watched all the debates.  I have listened as political reporters and commentators have discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly about each of the candidates.  I’ve read up on a few of the third party candidates.

And I’m ready to vote.  I’ve made my choice.

The candidate I’m supporting this year is…

…a flawed, sinful person.

He has said and done stupid things in the past.

As I’ve listened to his stump speeches and his debate rhetoric, I’m afraid he has vastly overstated what he can accomplish over the next four years if indeed he is elected.  He may or may not be able to get our economy headed in the right direction again.  He may or may not be able to enact policies that will stimulate the creation of new jobs.  Try as he might, there is no way this man can ensure our safety.  There are people in our world who are committed to acts of violence against others.  He can’t stop that from happening.

He will not fix the centuries-old divisions in the Middle East.

He will not be able to persuade the leadership of other nations to respect the human rights of their people.

Greed and corruption will continue to flourish around the world.

If my guy wins, we may be in a slightly better place as a nation four years from now.

Or slightly worse.

Maybe a lot worse.

Probably not a lot better.

If I sound cynical, I’m not.

If I sound pessimistic about where we are headed as a country, I’m not.

Honestly, I’m hopeful.

Not hopeful that “our way of life” will be preserved or that my candidate will make it possible for me to keep more of my paycheck.

Not hopeful that the threat of terrorism and genocide around the world will ebb.

Not hopeful that as a result of having the right man in the White House, our nation will once again embrace our Judeo-Christian heritage.

Here’s why I’m hopeful.

I had a long talk today with the King.

The King promised me that He will be watching things carefully over the next four years.  He didn’t say whether we will be facing hard times as a nation or whether we’ll see things getting better.  But He did say that He has a plan and He will be working everything together for good for those who love Him.  Whatever happens with our country and in our world, the King said, His Kingdom will not fail.

It turns out that whoever wins the race for the White House ultimately reports to Him anyway.

And the King is a very effective manager of people.

He also reminded me that sometimes, what is best for the Kingdom is for a nation – for His people – to go through some very hard times.  That’s often when the King’s men and women do their best work.

So, I will vote.  And I will pray for whoever wins.  And I will do what I can do to see that justice and righteousness will prevail in our country and around the world.

But my hope for the next four years is not built on who wins 270 electoral votes on November 6.

My hope is in the King.  And in His Kingdom.

All other ground is sinking sand.

Copyright © 2012 Bob Lepine. All rights reserved.