They say that politics and religion shouldn’t be discussed in polite company, in which case we had better hope that this isn’t polite company.
Because today is election day and we are once again being asked to choose our political leaders. Whilst some are understandably advocating for change and others are urging for caution, unsure of what that change may look like, there are others still who see very little difference between the political parties and feel unable to vote for any of them.
On their 1988 album, ‘Sunshine on Leith’, The Proclaimers asked the question, ‘What do you do when democracy fails you?’ Which seems a pertinent question, because, irrespective of which political party you’ll vote for today, it’s probably fair to say that democracy isn’t working terribly well for anyone just now.
Back in November 1947, Winston Churchill said:
‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time’.
To be frustrated with the limitations of democracy then is nothing new – we shouldn’t be surprised when democracy fails. But what should we do when it does?
First, perhaps, it would be wise to consider why it so frequently disappoints.
Firstly democracy will ultimately always fail because of the nature of the people who run for government – and the nature of those given the responsibility, and privilege, to vote.
Those who run for election aren’t omniscient. Politics is a complicated business and no politician can genuinely know what is best in all situations for all individuals. Furthermore, whilst I don’t doubt that most are in it for the right reasons, politicians aren’t devoid of selfish ambition and are, therefore, prone at times to promote themselves and their own ends in preference to what may be best for the country.
We who vote are no different. We are not infinitely wise either and can not appreciate what is always for the best. Like turkeys who, in the excited anticipation of a visit from Santa Claus, vote for Christmas, we too can be swayed by promises of short term gains without fully appreciating the long term consequences.
Like politicians, neither are we selfless.
Concerned for our own welfare, anxious about our future, and understandably longing to be sure that we’ll be looked after when we have need, we are prone to vote in ways that serve us best rather than the country as a whole.
This is not to suggest that we, or our politicians, are incapable of doing good – created in the image of God there is much that is admirable in the human condition. Even so, we are, at heart, all deeply flawed.
The one time Dean of King’s College London put it like this:
‘It is precisely when you consider the best in man that you see there is in each of us a hard core of pride or self centredness which corrupts our best achievements and blights our best experiences. It comes in all sorts of ways: in the jealousy which spoils our friendships, in the vanity we feel when we have done something pretty good, in the easy conversion of love into lust, in the meanness which makes us depreciate the efforts of other people, in the distortion of our own judgement by our own self-interest, in our fondness for flattery and our resentment of blame, in our self-asserted profession of fine ideals that we never begin to practice.’
A second reason that democracy fails is the inability of those in power to be sufficiently gracious to the less than perfect people like me that they govern.
At one end of the political spectrum there is the view that everyone is worthy and all have a right to the support of government. To one holding such a view, a question enquiring about the worst thing they had ever done* might be laughed off with a nod and a wink as if there was no such thing as wrongdoing, nothing at least for which one ought to be ashamed. But denying the existence of wrong, in either oneself or others, is both naive and ultimately precludes justice.
And considering everyone as deserving is not what grace is about.
At the other end of the political spectrum there is the view that only those who have been responsible enough should have the support of government. To one holding such a view a question enquiring about the worst thing they had ever done might be answered in such a way that makes it clear that at heart they consider themselves to be pretty good – they wouldn’t have done anything really bad, nothing worse, perhaps, than running through a field of wheat.
But imagining that one is fundamentally good is naive and leads to arrogance.
And only helping those who are sufficiently deserving isn’t what grace is about either.
Because grace is about being generous to those who are undeserving, to those who really do do bad things. It fully acknowledges the sinfulness of those it acts generously towards – but acts generously towards them just the same.
One can understand why a government might be anxious about embracing grace as a political ideal. Apart from anything else, to be genuinely gracious is impossible for those with finite resources. Nobody can possibly meet everybody’s needs – there has to be limits doesn’t there? After all, there isn’t a magic money tree.
So democracy fails because of human nature, a misunderstanding of the nature of grace and the lack of sufficient resources to act genuinely graciously even in the event of a government genuinely wanting to.
This is not to suggest that democracy should be abandoned, or that we should not be fully engaged in the democratic process. It is, after all, the best form of human government that we have. But even as we engage in it, we should, I think, recognise that it will, ultimately prove inadequate.
So what do you do then when democracy fails you?
Well perhaps we should look for an alternative form of government. A government led by a genuinely good ruler, who has a truly good heart and is wise enough to be trusted to govern well.
A government which has, at its helm, one who understands grace, is benevolent enough to want to act graciously and has the requisite infinite resources to do so.
A government that is led by God.
Now as you’ll probably have gathered, I am one of those peculiar people who consider themselves to be a Christian, one who recognises Jesus’ lordship, and seeks, all be it imperfectly, to submit to his benevolent rule. As such I consider myself, even now, to be part of his kingdom. Furthermore, when, as it surely will, Christ’s kingdom comes in all its fullness, I believe it will be one that will remain in place forever.
This is something that I consider to be very good news for, having read his manifesto, I know that he has promised to end all that troubles us today.
For there will be no need of a National Health Service when sickness and death are things of the past, neither will there be calls for better access to psychological therapies when every tear has been wiped away. Furthermore, those who worry about immigration will one day discover that God’s people hail from all four corners of the earth, and those who live under the threat of war will know real peace when nations beat their swords into ploughshares. And those who understandably worry about the current cost of living will come into the inheritance that even now is kept for them in heaven as, in Christ, they will know what it is to fully enjoy the immeasurable riches of God’s grace.
Admittedly, such undeserved kindness, can sound too good to be true. But true is what I believe it most certainly is.
Now there are those who are uncomfortable with the idea of grace and find it hard to be the recipient of unmerited favour. Some are too proud to allow themselves to be helped, not wanting to be left feeling indebted to another.
But God’s grace to us doesn’t create a debt – rather it pays one. We have only to be humble enough to accept the kindness that he is pleased to show us.
Now, not only can it be hard to receive grace, it can also be hard to see others treated graciously. Take for example the hoo-hah over the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi – the Libyan man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. Released on compassionate grounds as doctors believed he’d less than three months to live, the Scottish justice system was being gracious.
But many in 2009 criticised the decision – reacting angrily and asking where the justice was in such a move.
I wonder though, whether those who shouted so loud at the time, will be so eager for justice when they themselves stand before God and find that it is they who are on trial. Will they want justice then – or will they want grace?
I know what I will want on judgment day. I know what I will need. Grace! Because I will want, and need, to be treated better than I deserve.
And if, as I am declared “Not Guilty”, wholly on account of Christ’s work on my behalf, there are those who cry out, ‘Where is the justice?’, the answer I’ll give will be ‘On the cross at Calvary, where Jesus paid the price for all my crimes.’
For it was there, as my substitute, that he bore the punishment for my sin. It was there that God’s justice and mercy met so perfectly, thereby allowing me to counted righteous when righteous is what I so self evidently am not. It was there that God’s grace was most visibly on display.
There will of course be those who point to the triumphant homecoming of Megrahi to Libya as evidence that it is naive to act graciously. But however inappropriate the response of Megrahi was, it in no way alters the value of the Scottish government’s gracious act. Even so, it is worth saying that when a genuinely repentant sinner receives grace, their response is, not an arrogant, but a humble joy. They don’t mock the one who has shown them grace – rather they respond in love and praise for the one that has shown them such favour.
Which is how our response should be to the grace that we have received from God.
How wonderful then to have Him as the one who rules over us. How wonderful to have in power somebody who is both infinitely good and infinitely powerful – one who knows what is best and has the ability to bring it about. And how wonderful to have someone in control who is not only willing to be gracious but has the resources necessary to be able offer that grace – not just to some, but to absolutely everyone, no matter how undeserving they may be.
And so, rather than putting too much hope in what the next government will achieve, or find ourselves despairing over what they may or may not do, we should instead take a reality check and look to the only one from whom real help comes.
Psalm 121 begins:
‘I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.’
The psalm is one of the so called psalms of ascent sung as travellers headed to Jerusalem.
On the way they would have seen on the hills the evidence of pagan worship but the psalmist affirms that, rather than looking to such sources for assistance, his help comes from the Lord.
Similarly today there are those who put there hope in science and technology, medicine and sociology and, especially at election time, politics and economics. But like those emblems of pagan worship, these sources of help will all ultimately fail too.
Becasue regardless of who becomes Prime Minister today, they will not be able to govern the nation in the way that is required. As I’ve already said, we need a leader whose qualifications to govern are infinitely greater – one who is truly good and has the resources to be infinitely gracious.
But will such a government led by Jesus Christ really last for ever. Well yes – in Isaiah’s prophecy we hear these words written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus – words well known even to non-Bible types on account of Handel’s ‘Messiah’
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.’ [Isaiah 9:6-7]
God’s kingdom will endure, his government will last – and the reason we can be so sure is given in that final sentence. God’s kingdom will last because its capacity to do so will depend, not on us, but wholly on God. For it is His zeal that will ensure that what He has promised He will be deliver.
Nearly 3000 years ago King Uzziah died, and the future at the time seemed so uncertain for the people of Isaiah’s day. Isaiah, however, saw beyond the immediate political uncertainty.
‘In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.’ [Isaiah 6:1-4]
There is an image of one who is utterly in command. Uzziah may have died but God was still on the throne.
He still is today.
Many today are yearning for a leader who is wise enough, good enough and powerful enough to bring about real positive change. The good news is that that is exactly the kind of ruler God is. He is not fretting anxiously over the cost of living crises or the state of our public services. On the contrary, he is in complete control and is, therefore, one who can be trusted to fulfil all his promises.
So what do we do when democracy fails us?
We stop being surprised and look outside of ourselves to one who, undeserving though we are, is gracious toward us and can deliver what He promises.
We remain confident that irrespective of the very real problems that surround us, God is sovereign.
And we hold fast to what we know with absolute confidence – that our loving Heavenly Father’s authority is absolute, his power is infinite, and his wisdom is supreme. He really is in total control of every second of our lives.
So what do we do when democracy fails us?
We rejoice that the Lord is King.
*Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May were asked this question, and answered accordingly, during the run up to the 2017 election.
Related blogs:
To read ‘A Good heart these days is hard to find’, click here
To read ‘Drawing the line’, click here
To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here
And on a lighter note, to read ‘Vote Hector’, click here
Other non- political posts:
Related blogs:
To read ‘An Advent Calendar – Twenty Five Reflections for Christmas’, click here
To read ‘What becomes of the broken hearted? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Palm Sunday’, click here
To read ‘Why do bad things happen to good people? Sorrowful yet always rejoicing on Good Friday’, click here
To read ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things? Rejoicing, though temporarily sorrowful, on Easter Day’, click here.
To read ‘The Resurrection – is it just rhubarb?’, click here
To read ‘Faith and Doubt’, click here
To read ‘Ascension Day’, click here
To read ‘Speaking in Tongues’, click here
To read “Hope comes from believing the promises of God”, click here
To read ‘Foolishness – Law and Gospel’, click here
Some musings 