Rejoicing – before and beyond elections
A phrase in the Bible’s book of Psalms captures how we often seem to view political opponents today: “The man [or woman] who bringeth wicked devices to pass” (Psalms 37:7). Yikes!
Even if opposing candidates were to pose the existential threat we might think they do, the psalmist’s counsel that leads into the observation above stands: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
So much seems at stake in elections that dreading what we believe would be the wrong result feels like a rational response. But while fear saps our sense of empowerment, looking beyond the daily political ups and downs, we perceive the one power already and always at work that’s forever established, impartially beneficent, and completely incorruptible.
Above all, it’s a power that neither hurts nor harms but loves and heals: the power of Christ, the true idea of God so evident in Jesus, “who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
The oppressive “devil” that Jesus freed people from wasn’t an evil person or group, but the influence of what the Bible calls the carnal mind. This carnal or mortal mind is the misperception that life and power exist independent of the infinite, divine Mind, God – the true source of every individual identity. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered the divine Science that underlies Jesus’ healings, describes what he proved in this way: “There is no power apart from God. Omnipotence has all-power, and to acknowledge any other power is to dishonor God” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 228).
We can honor God by opening our hearts to this timeless Science of God’s all-power, every glimpse of which challenges mortal mind’s narrative that oppression is inevitable. And every individual healing is evidence of mortal mind’s powerlessness in light of God’s all-power, showing that there is no divine support for the broader claims that the carnal mind can be in the driving seat of a community or nation.
When experiencing such proof, we naturally exude a joy described in Science and Health: “Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine ‘powers that be.’ Such is the true Science of being” (p. 249). This spiritual cause for rejoicing will be just as valid in the future, whatever the future holds.
Rejoicing in God’s all-governing power isn’t a neutral stance in the cauldron of an election season. It uplifts us and reaches out to touch the lives of others. When we rejoice that God, good, has all power, we become clearer transparencies for Spirit, Life, Truth, and Love, which are biblical synonyms for God. We express Spirit-power in tirelessly doing good and accepting that others are spiritual, so also inherently motivated to do good; Soul-power by modeling constructive qualities such as civility and compassion; Truth-power in refusing to believe or circulate lies, or give credence to the notion that they have valid power; and Love-power in realizing the spiritual fact that there’s no such thing as an enemy, which brings transformation of oneself and others.
Rejoicing in God’s power also helps us discern when we’re getting pulled into making a god of human power by seeing someone as either a personal savior to adulate or a personal devil to fear and loathe. Before, during, and after an election, whichever candidate or party prevails, our need is always to turn to Truth – to yield to the influence of Christ, bringing to light the authority of God, which Jesus demonstrated has the most profound and far-reaching impact.
Doing so also frees us from being overly fascinated with or anxious about elections. This isn’t a freedom to ignore the issues at stake, or to opt out of participating in the privilege and right to vote where one is entitled to. Rather, it uplifts us to feel the influence of Mind at work.
We can steadfastly sustain this higher, healing view all the way through election season, including on election night. Instead of being excitedly or nervously glued to results rolling in, we can affirm the continuity of God’s control in prayer that reaches for, recognizes, and yes, rejoices in the all-blessing reality of the permanent and perpetual “divine ‘powers that be.’”
Clearly, election results are critical. But on the day after the election, the psalmist’s counsel still applies, regardless of who holds the reins of elective, human government: We can “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” We can rest in the recognition that divine Love, God, truly reigns over all, and that this power of Love is ever present to be demonstrated in the healing of our communities and nations.
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