Politics or Praise?

"Praise the Lord!  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse.  Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness" (Psalm 150:1-2)

Now I will be the first to confess to you, beloved, that no one enjoys listening to conservative talk radio programs more than I do!  So much that goes on politically in this great nation is simply not covered by the mainstream media or, if it is covered, it is so biased and slanted that it is hardly worth one's attention.

But I have found recently that listening to such programs has a very decided effect on me physically.  Even if the person who is talking is in agreement with my own politically convictions, I find that my stomach begins to tighten into a knot and the muscles in my neck begin to tighten as well.  It is almost as if I can feel my blood pressure climbing!  Just the spoken description of what is happening governmentally within the U.S. definitely affects me even when I am not personally involved in the conversation.

Often when I find myself being affected in such a way, I will quickly punch the preset button for our local Christian radio station and immediately find myself flooded by a wave of praise and worship.  The effect is instantaneous and glorious!  I find my muscles loosening, my thoughts clearing, and my mind returning to the momentarily forgotten conviction that God is not only worthy of praise, but that He is sovereign over all the affairs of men.  That assurance both calms and blesses my spirit and returns my focus to the perspective and purpose that the Spirit of God has intended for each of us as Christians to maintain.  And with that renewed perspective and purpose comes forth naturally the praise that God deserves and even seeks from His children.

Does that mean, then, that I should forget about what is happening politically in this country that I love?  That I should adopt a passive "I shouldn't get involved" attitude toward the wrong that is forming all around us from those who want to take us away from our roots as a nation and turn us against the very God who made us?  Not at all!  What it does mean, though, is that I am to face that onslaught of wrong thinking and wrong actions with the unshakeable conviction that God reigns as the psalmist declared - "according to His excellent greatness."  Even as we take a clear stand for the truth of God, beloved, we ought to praise the God of all truth for His power and majesty and love for all mankind.  We have the victory already because we have the Victor!  Hallelujah!

Ron