Today, I took a phone call from an African-American Pastor in the Chicago suburbs with grave concerns over the coming election. He had some serious questions. I love him. He is a friend. I have preached a number of times in his church. And we have been friends for almost 35 years. But I don’t share his fears. Why? I assure you, it is not because I don’t think this is a pivotal election, not because I trust either of the major options or parties, not because I am indifferent. For over a decade, I have been gathering weekly with a group of people every Monday morning or very early on Thursday morning to pray for one thing, revival. Those times of prayer, have not diminished my seriousness but they have banished my fear. At heart, I am a monarchist. I have a King (Link). He demands my TOTAL loyalty. I don’t trust politicians; I trust Jesus.
Without Revival, America is Toast
All that said, today I read a post from writer Philip Yancey, on the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident and probable victim of government assassination. I had heard that Navalny was a Christian, but this is about as clear an evidence of its truth as I have seen. Over-politicized American Christians could learn a lot from a man with this kind of clarity.
“If you want I’ll talk to you about God and salvation. I’ll turn up the volume of heartbreak to the maximum, so to speak. The fact is that I am a Christian, which usually rather sets me up as an example for constant ridicule in the Anti-Corruption Foundation, because mostly our people are atheists, and I was once quite a militant atheist myself. But now I am a believer, and that helps me a lot in my activities, because everything becomes much, much easier. I think about things less. There are fewer dilemmas in my life, because there is a book in which, in general, it is more or less clearly written what action to take in every situation. It’s not always easy to follow this book, of course, but I am actually trying. And so, as I said, it’s easier for me, probably, than for many others, to engage in politics. . . .
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.’I’ve always thought that this particular commandment is more or less an instruction to activity. And so, while certainly not really enjoying the place where I am, I have no regrets about coming back, or about what I’m doing. It’s fine, because I did the right thing. On the contrary, I feel a real kind of satisfaction. Because at some difficult moment I did as required by the instructions, and did not betray the commandment.”
~ Alexei Navalny, 2021
Rest in peace my brother. The resurrection is coming. Jesus is coming. Justice is coming.
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