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Isaiah 9:6

For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
    and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And the Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulders!

by Joey Capuano

(Note: This devotion was written for Nov 4, Election Day, but still applies.)  I know that we haven’t quite gotten to Advent or Christmas yet, but this verse was giving me much hope with today being Election Day. Especially in our country where the current political climate is volatile - to the point where we are still shut down and those in need and many government workers and their families are in need - we need to turn even more to Jesus.

I wish that our political system would go back to the way things were when I was little. Even though I’m a young adult, I can remember how members of different political parties respected each other. Most importantly, they celebrated our core values of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and justice for all people. Now, it seems that much of our society is divided between “red, blue, purple, green, or whatever else” politically, and these differences of opinions are painted as insurmountable obstacles between us. But, do you know what? Last time I looked at our country’s flag, I saw the colors red, white, and blue together, celebrating us! We have many different opinions. We feel different ways about the things that we want to happen politically. Our preferences for leaders are different. But that doesn’t mean we can’t compromise and commit to respecting and protecting the common humanity that we all share! That is what God wants!

When we hear this verse from Isaiah, we are reminded that we can lean on Jesus as our guide. Our governing principles of how we live can and should be upon His shoulders. I thought of a really neat metaphor today that I wanted to share. Look outside at the fall leaves. We see many different colors. And, after a rainstorm, what can we sometimes see in the sky? A rainbow, which is a reminder of God’s promise to always protect, provide for, and love us. And guess what we can see in these two colorful things? Shades of many colors, including blue, red, green, purple, which we can recognize the metaphorical politics involved there. All people, of all political persuasions, working together to paint a beautiful picture, in harmony.

Who can we turn to for guidance in this? Jesus!

For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Let’s remember this through this election season and beyond!

Your brother in Christ,  Joey

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