Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

by Richard Nelson, CPC Executive Director

Tomorrow, President-Elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Many conservatives are distraught over the impending policy lurch to the left in the next 100 days. Some are convinced the election was stolen and therefore future elections don’t matter. Regardless of where you are, may I ask you to do some soul-searching as to where your ultimate hope rests?

I understand the discouragement regarding the national election results and the impending policy shifts that are on the horizon. But please know that this is a season, even if unpleasant. As with all seasons, it will eventually change.

Here’s where hope comes in: civil governments aren’t the ultimate. They are temporary. They last for a defined period. Government policies aren’t permanent. They change with new leadership. And true cultural and societal change comes from within a renewed and restored heart, not civil legislation or executive orders.

The hope for Christ-followers is a renewed heart and mind that brings us into relationship and fellowship with him. This means we realize there is an ultimate authority above all earthly governments. Even while temporal rulers wield power contrary to God’s principles, He can work through political darkness and foolishness for His glory and kingdom purposes. In fact, he calls his people to be salt and light. Salt is a preserving agent used to stem decay. Light dispels darkness and shows the way. That is who you are—regardless of political circumstances if you are in Christ. Do you believe that?

I understand that each of us in the conservative movement is processing this present disappointment in different ways. But as you process, please know that the world is watching. Have you put a disproportionate emphasis on the election? Have you hung your emotional well-being on the election results? Are you maintaining your Christian witness in the midst of this troubled time?

As important as elections and working hard to preserve our freedoms are, we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture and forget who’s really in charge and what each of us can do even when our team isn’t in power.

May I encourage you? Our Creator providentially guides the establishment, the preservation, and even the downfall of nations. Does not this same God work in our midst, even in disappointing and dark times? If so, we ought to humbly seek Him and live in the confidence of that reality. I am convinced that the crisis in our nation is not so much political as it is spiritual. The rejection of biblical principles and objective reality is a greater challenge than who holds a political office.

So we need spiritual awakening—a move of God to restore and renew us, and our nation. May we in this season look to the God of the universe for our ultimate hope and ask Him to work through us for His glory and kingdom purposes. To that end, I’m optimistic about the potential for restoration.