General Overseer Offers Guidance Headed Into Election Day
As the General Overseer of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, Dr. Timothy M. Hill offered these comments on the November 8 general elections in the United States:
“As I have traveled across the United States, and around the world, there is one thing that people agree on – they are ready for the elections to be over! We are all ready for the rancor, divisiveness, and yes, even the embarrassment in some cases, to be over. However, staying home and not voting is not the answer. In the United States, we are blessed with a representative form of government that allows us to express our opinions, and even our frustrations, at the ballot box. So it is your responsibility to vote, even if your candidate may not be perfect in your eyes.
As I have previously stated, as a vital part of the body of Christ, we must recognize that the Church and what we stand for holds the message of hope, justice, unity and peace that should be spread to our communities and around our nation. As the Church, we should lead through actions and words, enriching the ethical values and principles our nation was founded upon. And we must be bold and forthright, constructive and innovative, but most importantly, we have to be “salt and light” to the world, bringing life and vitality to what often seems to be a world without focus or direction.
While I will cast my vote on Election Day, I will cast my confidence fully and completely in Jesus Christ. No matter who is president, Jesus will always be King of Kings and Lord of Lords!! It is in Him that I place my confidence and trust.
When we wake up on November 9 and the election is finally over, regardless of who has won, we will see another day of God’s perfect sovereignty. God will still be in charge. He will still be seated on His throne. God’s authority and power has never depended upon who was president, and it will not after this election. Proverbs 21 tells us that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1 NKJV). God will not be facing anything after this election that He cannot handle – and that He did not see from the beginning of time.
While we, even in the church, may disagree on who is the best person to lead our nation, we need to all agree that there is nothing too difficult for God – and His throne is not going to be relegated to a corner. It is He who truly loves this world – and gave His Son to die for us. To think we care more than He does is just a fallacy. As it has been said, God can turn Pennsylvania Avenue into the road to Damascus, changing any life and transforming any heart. No circumstance is too great for the power of the cross.
So while I want to encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote, I also want to remind the good folks in Church of God congregations across this great country to pray first for the spiritual renewal of our nation in recognition that our greatest need is not political, but rather spiritual. As believers, we are first and foremost citizens of a heavenly kingdom (Phil. 3:20), and we have a heavenly king who is not elected by our vote. Nothing that happens in this election should hinder our King’s directive to us to complete the Great Commission. As you vote, do so with the confidence that God has everything under control.”
