Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Psalm 146:3-5

Can Politics Save Us?

Do not put your trust in princes and mortals,
Reminds the psalmist, for in them there is no help.
Politics, in other words, is not what will save us. 
Governments, rulers, money, and power –
They all perish, and return to the ground of God’s good earth. 
Politics can distract us, perhaps, and help us to avoid paying attention
To our own lives, to our need of grace and mercy.
Which is, I suspect, why it is such a popular pastime. 
It’s not unimportant, of course, it’s just not most important.
Happiness cannot be found there, or hope,
Or any of the priceless treasures that our God yearns to give us.
There is no ballot box that contains these wonders.
Keep voting, by all means, but don’t put all your trust there.
Don’t allow your hope to be trapped in a ballot box. Let it free.
Put your hope in the Lord, and see it soar.
And do this again and again. Even when this broken world and
Your own pain tempt you toward simpler solutions. 
Remind yourself that they are not solutions – they are people, 
Broken and flawed, like us all. 
Pray for those who lead us, no matter your vote,
But don’t ask them to save us.
They cannot save us, and neither can we.
There is only one who can,
Only one whose plans never perish,
Who is able to keep every promise,
Whose steadfast love can be counted on, again and again.
Happy are all who believe this,
Declares the psalmist, who attach their hope to the one
On whose wide and faithful shoulders rests all governments,
The one we are invited to call Everlasting Father, our
Prince of Peace.