What is God up to?

The Union Club breakfast is a weekly gathering of Christian men from all around Boston that meets every Thursday morning at 7:30a by invite over on Park Street. $15 bucks for a pretty fancy breakfast and a seat at round tables to make friends and hear a short talk, usually from God’s Word. I was put on to it years ago and have made a few appearances through the years, though no one could accuse me of being a regular. The man standing at the lectern this past Thursday informed us that he wouldn’t be giving a talk, but that in light of the election, he wanted the 100 or so men in the room to respond to two questions: What is God up to? And how do we respond?

I have to say, I take issue with the first question. I’ve never felt comfortable in the role of the prophet. For the most part, tracing the times—making predictions about what God is doing based on circumstances is a fools’ errand. You remember Harold Camping, predicting the end of the world with a date to show for it? Or Pat Robertson blaming hurricane Katrina on Mardis Gras. What a train wreck!

I nibbled on my egg and bacon quiche while men stood up, offering their own musings on God’s hand in the election. To be clear, the overwhelming majority of comments were positive. There was an optimism among the men, particularly regarding what they hope will be a restraining of the evils of abortion, the denial of God’s design of men and women, the transgender madness, and a number of other issues that will likely now be put in check for a time. But it was also clear that not everyone in the room was very happy about the outcome. One could gather this from the not so subtle suggestion that God is disciplining, or perhaps even judging our nation by giving us the leaders we deserve.

I suppose what I appreciated most was some of the answers to the second question. How are we to respond? John Ames stood up—yes, the John Ames that leads SEND Relief on our fifth floor. We came to the breakfast together. He expressed a concern for unity among churches and said something to the effect that whatever happens in politics, it doesn’t really change what God has called us as Christians to do every day. We are to pursue truth, make disciples, and love our neighbors. I appreciated that. There are doubtless those in churches who are utterly thrilled about how Tuesday night went down. And yet, there are others are discouraged and deeply concerned for the future. Wherever you may land on this spectrum, what John said is true. We’re to speak the truth to one another, even truths that might offend—but as the Apostle Paul commanded the church at Ephesus, we must “speak the truth in love.” A church divided by political strife isn’t anything like Jesus.

I don’t know what the Lord is going to do in the next four years. I have to admit, I’m quite optimistic because I know that God is in control. I want to believe that many of the evils that have seemed to get a foothold in our culture will be beaten back. However, as God’s people have always lusted after earthly security, I think those who find comfort in the red wave should be warned. There is only one Savior. His name is Jesus. May God give us all the grace in these times to gather around Him who has united us by His precious blood.