How many governmental promises have been uttered in the U.S. since the beginning of our democracy? How many of these promises have you or I bought into? How’s that working out? 

The failure of human governments is nothing new. “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles’” (Psalm 2:1-3).

We long for a system where wrongs can be made right. We feel powerless to effect change when we sense our government is complicit with evil. The powers that be seem too big: “They ruin everything.” Yet we also turn and scoff and say, “They can’t do anything.” Even as we ridicule the system, anger and despair show that we place our trust in them.

I might say, “God’s in charge.” But my fear, anger, and sense of hopelessness show that my heart actually sees human institutions as holding the power in this world. I profess something with my mouth and think I believe it in my heart, yet how I act ultimately shows what I truly believe in.

What if we put our trust in a different government and our allegiance rested with a different Ruler? You probably know where I’m going with this. God laughs at the rulers of the earth: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain. . . . Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:6,12). Reign in my heart, King Jesus.