Altered Perspective

It never ceases to amaze me how God takes various strands of thought or objects of interest and weaves them together into a coherent appreciation for eternal truth. Things that may at first seem completely unrelated, or they may be separated by some time or distance, but at the right moment God brings them together around his Word.


Last night, as I was thinking of the upcoming July 4th Holiday, I read several of the speeches from various Founding Fathers. Among them, I read Benjamin Franklin's final address to the Constitutional Convention. It was an address that he wrote but did not deliver in person due to fatigue and poor health. The entirety of the speech is well worth a read. It is short, and you can find the text here along with some commentary about the occasion.

The phrase from his address that lingered in my mind was from the second paragraph:

In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults - if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people, if well administered; and I believe, farther, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other. 

This was one strand of thought. Last night.

A second strand of thought began this morning as I thought about the day - July 4th - American Independence Day. I thought of the activities of the day - fireworks and BBQ and parades. I am hoping for ice cream, too.

Somewhere in the midst of planning the day, I thought of the meaning of the day - independence from tyrannical forms of government, freedoms shared with fellow citizens to craft a society in which God-given human rights can exist and flourish. Our freedoms are a blessing. Our independence is worthy to be celebrated.

But I found that even as I was thankful, I was thinking about the struggles our democracy is facing right now. I thought of the incivility that is present in our political discourse. I thought of the anger and the anxiety that so many people carry these days. I thought of our disagreements about issues large and small. I worried about the devaluation of truth and the still unreaped consequences of our past (and present!) injustices.

It was then that I wondered about the prophetic quality of Franklin's words in 1787, and I wondered about the depth of our corruption.

And then I opened my Bible and read Psalm 2. These words collided with my political thinking and helped to rearrange my perspective this July 4th. It is at once a sobering perspective and a hopeful one. Why are the nations in an uproar? And why is mine, in particular? Could it be that I worry too much about vain things? Could it be that I am too interested in the council of kings and not attentive enough to the true KING?

The true KING is not worried. He is not anxious. On the contrary, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at [the rulers of the nations]." (vs. 4) In his appointed time, he will judge the nations. He shall break them with a rod of iron and shatter them like earthenware. (vs. 9) Not one will stand the test of eternal significance, and nothing is out of his ultimate control. While earthly freedoms and independence are indeed a blessing, they are small things compared to the freedoms available to a citizen of the Eternal Kingdom.

So what can reorient my loyalty and allegiance toward the true KING? What can draw my attention to a larger reality and alter my perspective of just policies and right action? What can lead me to the deeper, lasting truths and the foundations of true justice? What can keep me focused on the Fount from which true freedom and all human rights flow?

The answer is in verses 11 and 12:

Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

 Worship. Homage. Rejoicing. These are the pathway to blessing.