In The Hands Of A True Leader

Have you ever felt in your life that you didn't care about the leadership in your area before, but due to the overwhelming events happening in your town, you suddenly started to care and began to include it in your prayers? I felt that way, and now I would like to share what is currently happening in our town under new leadership, as well as during the time when we were being led by someone we thought would help develop our town. 

In fact, before anything else, even during the time of the Bible, people knew that it is the Lord who appoints leaders. As it is stated in the Bible:

A family has been leading our town for a long time. They just switch positions among themselves, but it's always the same people in power. Our town has changed a lot; what used to be simple and bright has become dark. The street lights are weak, clearly a way of cutting costs. There’s a lot of crime on the streets because some of the people here aren’t even legitimate residents anymore; they just keep accepting people from other towns but don’t offer any jobs for them. The only things that have been built are private establishments—there are no public spaces to help the community, and yet they call this progress because there are lots of businesses, but there are barely any schools, no public hospital, and not even a park. Honestly, back then, I didn't get why people kept voting for them. I actually thought their leadership would never end while they were still alive.

But it's really true that God is the one who appoints and removes leaders. There's no assurance that you'll stay in power because only God is certain about everything.

This May, our country had elections, so our town got a chance to vote for our local leader. I was really nervous, and we prayed for months that there would be a change in leadership. We’re so tired of corruption and lies. We prayed for this with all our hearts to the Lord, hoping that this time, life in our town would finally change for the better. The fight was fierce because the current leader resorted to character assassination to keep his opponent from getting votes. But we continued to pray that this leadership would come to an end and be replaced by someone new.

In the past, one of my characteristics was to show support for the person I was advocating for. However, since my spouse works in the government, it is not permissible to be seen as supporting someone publicly. A government employee must be non-partisan, and even though I do not work there, my spouse's position reflects on me. Therefore, we chose to support quietly through daily prayer. Every day after I pray and do the house chores, I check for updates on the people I support and I continually cry out to the Lord about what is happening in our town.

I reached a point where I lost hope because the current officials are really good at ruining things and spinning stories. They're also great at showing that they have a lot of supporters, which made me lose hope even more. I thought it seems like nothing will change in our town, that maybe people just don’t want change. I wondered why they couldn’t see what I was seeing. There’s so much darkness, so much dirt, so much difficulty, and so much chaos happening here, yet some people keep accepting money that runs out so quickly.

Then, the election day finally came, and my spouse and I went to vote early. It was quick, and we managed to vote smoothly so we just waited for the results. That night, the results came out, and God answered our prayers because we have a new leader for our town. The long-standing rule was ended by the Lord, just like when the Holy Spirit left King Saul; the Lord has appointed someone new for our community. 

We felt hope. We sensed the beginning of change. We felt like we had a chance. A chance for a peaceful and orderly life where everyone is treated equally. No more favoritism and no more exploiting others. This is a new beginning, bringing new hope for our people, and all of this is because of the will of the Lord.

It is indeed the Lord alone who appoints leaders in every town or nation. He uses this as an instrument for those who rely on Him. As leaders, we must fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to us by the Lord, not for our personal satisfaction but for His glory.

It is easy to run for a position in the community or in government. It is easy to gain power from this, but we must always remember that it can also be quickly taken away by the Lord. He is the one who gives; He is also the one who takes away. Therefore, while we have what He has provided, whether it be a responsibility, power, or anything else, let us use it in a manner pleasing to Him, for these can easily be removed if He sees that we have abused what He has entrusted to each one of us.

Let us always remember that God is our only ruler. He is the King of kings, and no one can compare to Him. Even if a person holds power in their position for a long time, only the Lord will decide how far and how long he will reign. Even if he gains many supporters, if it is not God's will, he will not be the one to lead. Only the Lord knows, so let us continue to trust in Him, for He alone will provide us with leaders whom He can use to serve the people. And if your leader is not fulfilling their duties as an appointed leader, do not worry, for all of that will come to an end; let us trust in the Lord because He hears and loves us and will always wants the best for us. Please join me in offering prayers of gratitude and praise to the Lord, our one and only King and God.

Dear Lord, King of kings, Almighty God, thank You very much for Your goodness. Thank You for giving us hope that You will never abandon us. Our hearts overflow with joy because of Your love and greatness. Lord, we entrust to You those You have appointed to serve the people. May You fill them with the Holy Spirit so they may recognize You and serve according to Your will. Lord, please save our nation. Grant wisdom and discernment to our leaders; may their aspirations for the good of the country be fulfilled, and do not allow them to be led astray or blinded by the riches found in this world. Once again, all praise, worship, and gratitude belong to You in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.

Thank you for reading! To GOD be all the glory...