Seth Udinski, FISM News
Wednesday has brought disappointment to those who hung their hopes on the predicted “red wave” that many political pundits on both sides of the aisle said for months would be the result of the 2022 midterm elections.
As many races are far closer than almost anyone thought possible, many are now realizing that the expectation for a sweeping Republican victory has turned into a vast misjudgment on the part of political analysts.
Chris Lange of FISM News summarized the situation many on the right are facing as they come to realize the disappointment for what they thought would be an easy win,
To say Republicans were disappointed with the results would be an understatement, considering President Biden’s struggling approval ratings and concerns about the economy, not to mention the fact that the party that controls the White House historically loses seats in the first midterm elections. The widely predicted stark repudiation of the party in power in Washington proved to be a mild scolding, at best.
Of course, as of early Wednesday afternoon, the GOP could technically still win both houses in Congress. However, for many conservatives, the sweeping victory would have been the real prize, especially considering how frustrated so many on the right have been with the Biden administration’s mishandling of both the chaos at the border and the American economy.
As of Wednesday, the Senate race remains deadlocked, with only a handful of seats remaining and no clear winner determined. The Republicans are leading the House, but by a much smaller margin than expected. The same can be said for the nation’s gubernatorial races, with the Republicans leading by a slim majority.
This all comes with further uncertainty in the Republican Party, as there is still not a clear favorite to challenge Biden in 2024.
The toss-up remains between Donald Trump, who some are blaming for the GOP’s disappointing finish with his controversial jabs at fellow Republicans, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is fresh off the heels of a dominating win in Florida’s gubernatorial race, widely considered by many on the right to be one of the few bright spots from an otherwise disappointing 2022 midterm election.
Author’s Biblical Analysis
What do Christians make of an election that has been, up to this point, both uncomfortably uncertain and also overwhelmingly disappointing?
Many Christians were, and still are, hoping and praying that Republicans can gain control of Congress as a means to stem the tide of an administration that has proven to consistently support policies and laws that grieve the heart of God.
Yet, regardless of your political beliefs or hopes for this election cycle, we are all faced with disappointments and uncertainty in this world. If we focus too much on the horizontal it is easy to become confounded with how God is at work in the midst of the present circumstances.
But you can face this uncertainty, with a simple anchor for your soul: God is on the throne, and God is in control.
At the heart of biblical theology is the belief that God is utterly sovereign over everyone and everything. Regardless of differences in theological distinctions, Christians must agree on this fact. If God were not totally sovereign, He would not be God.
Since God is sovereign, we can see His hand guiding and ordaining all that comes to pass. We see this clearly in Scripture. The Lord causes the rain to fall and the sun to rise, the Lord ordains and allows both afflictions and blessings on whom He so chooses.
In the saga of Job, some would argue Satan was to blame for the afflictions of Job. That is certainly true, but was he ultimately in control? Who was the One who set the parameters for what Satan was allowed to do to Job? It was God.
Believer, do not allow God’s total sovereignty to fill you with dread. It should fill you with great joy! You serve a God who has been in total control of everything that comes to pass throughout human history, and that will never change. Additionally, He loves you and desires what is best for you and for me.
It was God who ordained that Israel would be prosperous under David, and it was God who allowed His people to be enslaved by Pharaoh and later exiled to Babylon. It was God who raised up righteous rulers like Josiah and Hezekiah and wicked rulers like Ahab, Herod, and Nero. It was God who ordained Donald Trump to be elected president in 2016 and for Joe Biden to be elected in 2020.
Should we vote? Absolutely. Should we get involved and fight the culture war? Without question, we must. We are commanded by God to be active in pushing back against the darkness.
But as we do all of it, let us not forget this absolute truth: God is sovereign, and no matter who sits in the Oval Office or in the seats in Congress, God sits on the throne of heaven and earth, and He will never get voted out.
So as we consider a chaotic midterm that did not fall as many had anticipated, let us turn with hope to the cross at Calvary, where the true Lord of the universe stood in our place and rescued us from sin. Let us be reminded of the fact that if we place our hope in a political party, a particular politician, or a legislative agenda we will always be disappointed.
May we be ever more confident in Jesus’s sovereign rule, knowing the final victory is His, and if we belong to Him, that victory also belongs to us. Let us cling ever more tightly to the one who will never disappoint.
And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. – Daniel 2:21