Today's Scripture Reading (November 17, 2024): Exodus 17
Now that another election
season in the United States is behind us, or if you are Canadian, one is just
ahead, maybe it is time to remind ourselves that while a President or a Prime
Minister can affect significant change in a nation, there are a lot of things
that are simply out of their control. I love listening to Jim Carville, but I agree
with him on very little. But his quote, "It's the economy, stupid,"
has to be one of the greatest political slogans in the last 100 years. Not only
that, but it is also one of the things that is relatively out of the control of
our political leaders. The economy depends on many things, like war, worldwide
weather, foreign stock markets, and other things that are often beyond our
control. There is a lot that a politician can do that will harm the health of
the economy, but there is very little that they can do to improve our economic
situation. It really is the economy, stupid, and the one thing I want to know
from our politicians, above everything else, is that they won't be foolish and
cause harm to the economy. Politicians can make grand promises about the
economy, but the best they can hope for is that they will do no harm and that
the economic dice roll comes up in their favor.
In some ways, Moses is a
prophet and a man of God. But in other ways, please don't be offended by this
comment; he is just another politician. God has called him out of the
wilderness. Moses didn't want to leave the life he had built for himself after he
fled Egypt. God sent the prophet into the presence of Pharaoh and had him
introduce a series of plagues that Moses had no control over. Then, he led the
slaves out of Egypt following a route that God had chosen, a path that had been
selected because it was designed to keep the people safe and not be brought
immediately into conflict with some of the minor powers of the area. So far, Moses
has written or initiated very little of this drama.
Now, the people are upset
with Moses. It is the nightmare of every politician. Moses has done everything
right, and yet the roll of the dice has come up against him. And so, he prays
to God; these people are upset, and they are about ready to stone him as a
heretic. Moses doesn't know what he is going to do.
I get the emotion of the
statement, but Moses's reality is that there is nothing he can do. There has
been nothing that he could do since the beginning of this journey. Luckily for
Moses, God has been in control of rolling the dice. All he could do was do no
harm and follow the dictates of his God.
For our political leaders, it
is still the hope and the only expectation. Please, "do no harm," and
allow God to move in our midst. If that is our truth, then we will be
successful in the place where God needs us to be.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Exodus 18
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