Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and ungird the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
"I will go before you
and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut asunder the bars of iron,
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God;
I gird you, though you do not know me,
that men may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe,
I am the LORD, who do all these things.
Isaiah 45:1–7 (RSV)
We inaugurate a president today. It has been a bit tumultuous this time around. I don't know what to make of all the events that have brought us to this day. Even if I disagreed with the person taking the Office, I have always been proud of how we demonstrate to the world how we can transfer power.
I can't say that I am this year. I am bewildered by recent events. I struggle to keep up with the fluidity of the language used to describe events. The 'mostly peaceful protests' of the summer are now 'insurrection'. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference. All were destructive, took lives, terrorized innocent folk, and were a blight on our nation.
I am thankful for the Scripture today from Isaiah: 'Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,'. It can also be translated,' thus says the LORD to his messiah, to Cyrus,'. God has chosen Cyrus, the Persian emperor, to be the deliverer of the Children of Israel who has been in bondage in Babylon.
God made use of Cyrus even though Cyrus had no clue that the LORD was using him. Cyrus' conquest of Babylon allows the exiles of Israel to return home to Jerusalem. God acts in history to bring about His purpose. He will call a pagan emperor His Messiah who knows nothing of God, for a time Cyrus serves the purpose of God.
I will pray for the incoming president as I have for the outgoing president. I will pray that he governs wisely. I will pray that he will use his office for the good of the nation. As God is using him to accomplish God's will, I will pray that our president will honor God.
God's will and purpose are at the heart of who we are. We pray 'Thy will be done, we don't pray that the president's be done. We are citizens of a Kingdom who happen to live in the United States. Yes, the orderly transfer of power is essential. It has long been a badge of honor for our nation. Still, Jesus is our only Lord. He is Lord of all things, even presidents.