Why “Wait on the Lord”?
When I was a young adult, I was intrigued with the words of Winston Churchill:
“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are often no longer strong.”
Would you agree or disagree with this statement? It made perfect sense to me at that time. Compromise was often needed to operate from a position of strength, and I could do more good if I positioned myself to a place of power, where the strong make the rules. Compromise was simply a negotiating tactic to gain or secure power, and if I valued anything above strength, including justice, then it would eventually weaken my position.
Churchill lived out his beliefs as evidenced by his decision to bomb French ships during WWII at Mers-el-Kebir. It was debatably a masterful, strategic move that prevented the French fleet from falling into the hands of Nazi Germany, but we’ll never know what “could’ve been” if Churchill hadn’t done that. Would the fleet have become a more powerful arm of the French Resistance? How would a different decision have impacted the war? It doesn’t serve any purpose to live life questioning “what if…”. And the good news is that ultimately the Allies won that dreadful war. But let’s contrast Churchill’s move with an event that occurred about a month prior.
British and French forces had been pushed back to the Strait of Dover. Defeated with no visible chance to escape, they were challenged by the German army to offer their unconditional surrender. Total destruction seemed to be only a matter of time, but in defiance the British responded with “And if not!”. Had the British surrendered, many historians believe it would have ended all Allied opposition to Hitler. Without hope of a rescue, these brave soldiers refused to comprise on what they knew to be right despite the despairing situation. But the cryptic response of the Allied army was instantly understood by British fishermen as a reference to the Book of Daniel, comprehending that (1) they believed their God had the power to save them
“and if not” (2) they would live or die doing what was right. As a result of this steadfastness to doing what was right, Allied armies were not destroyed that day; God brought about a miracle through His people. The fishermen understood the biblical reference and mobilized to ferry the army across the British Channel, giving them the respite they so desperately needed to recover and continue to resist the evil of Nazi Germany.
Choosing the lesser of two evils…
Now conventional wisdom in our world today often tells us that we need to choose the lesser of two evils. We are admonished repeatedly that it is the reasonable thing to do. For example, don’t throw away your vote on a candidate who has no chance of winning. As I listen to the despair most people have for the upcoming election in America, I’m reminded that we will sadly have another opportunity to select the lesser of two evils.
But some may say: “The important thing is just that we follow our own convictions.” Following our own convictions is certainly difficult , and it seems like a good response. But what is our convictions are wrong? It doesn’t matter how stalwart you are in following personal convictions if your convictions don’t line up with what God has declared to be right. We see repeatedly in the Old Testament scriptures where wickedness grew in the land as everyone did what was right in their eyes. If we follow what is right in our eyes, we are self-righteous, but when we follow what God has called right, God declares us righteous.
God is still in control, but we act as if He needs our help.
The truth is that God is Sovereign, and He is always at work. We have the privilege to join Him in that work, but He doesn’t need our help. He wants us to join Him in His work, but it’s for our good and our glory that He pulls us in. The world we live in is becoming increasingly more wicked. We need to take note of that and consider how to respond. Can we slow or reverse the tide? Edmond Burke is quoted as saying “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” and while it’s contested if Burke should receive the credit for this statement, the meaning behind the quote remains true.
Righteous men and women need to stand firm against this wave of evil that is sweeping over the world. I’m not advocating violence, but rather the more important necessary first step: draw close to God and seek the spiritual gift of wisdom. Prepare spiritually, physically, intellectually and financially to be a man who can make a difference. Stop playing with the distractions of self-interest and trust that God is indeed powerful enough to bring about a greater victory than we can envision within our own humble means. We need to stop allowing the slow spread of wickedness by choosing the lesser of two evils.
God is accountable for the outcomes; we are not. We are responsible to do what is right, not what is less evil. I’ll say it again: “The lesser of two evils is still evil.” What person will God punish for trying to do what is right? But we will be held accountable for failing to take a stand against the wickedness of the age.
The grim reality is that we see wicked men succeeding in their plans, and the giants of today are bigger than ever before: AI, fragile economies, escalating warfare, CBDC, etc. But God is so much bigger than the giants. He is responsible for the outcome, and we just need to faithful in our small responsibilities.
“Surrender yourself to the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes.”Psalm 37:7
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