Elections often provoke a variety of feelings within us. We may feel fear, afraid of who may be elected, or we may feel joy, hoping that the person we elected will save us from all of our ills.
However, it is always important to remind ourselves that no matter who is elected, they cannot save us.
The president of a country may a great deal of power, but they can never ultimately save us or our souls.
One way to remind ourselves of this reality is to pray with Psalm 33, a passage from the Bible that ends with a potent reminder, “The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save…Let thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in thee.”
Psalm 33
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre,
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song,
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright;
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord,
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood forth.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
The Lord looks down from heaven,
he sees all the sons of men;
from where he sits enthroned he looks forth
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death,
and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Yea, our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in thee.
And today we celebrate...