As I write this, we are anxiously anticipating the results of the national elections in the United States. It’s Tuesday, November 3, 2020 and today will undoubtedly be like many other election days. Filled with political pontifications and exit polls, analysis will run late into the evening. Over the years, people have expressed their anxious anticipation this way: “I’m holding my breath.”
But who’s holding your breath?
In the midst of a tragic history lesson, the prophet Daniel reminded King Belshazzar about the truth of the situation.
“. . .but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored” (Daniel 5:23b).
Some of us are recuperating from COVID-19 with its lingering congestion and coughing. Others are plagued with seasonal allergies, especially in harvest season. Our friends in California are trying to breathe without inhaling smoke from the wildfires. (One of my friends was jogging there recently and said, “It’s like trying to run through a campfire.”) The point is that right now many of us are thinking about breathing more than we ordinarily would. And each mindful breath should remind us about who is holding our breath in His hand.
Belshazzar had ignored the lessons of history. Recalling the stories about Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel told the king,
“You have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this” (Daniel 5:22).
So on this Election Day, let us not forget Daniel’s lessons about history. We discussed 5 of these lessons in a recent message here .
The main point of the Book of Daniel is repeated in chapter 5, “the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He will” (Daniel 5:21).
All those who are elected this week should pause to honor the Most High God. He is holding their breath in His hand even as they give their acceptance speeches.
Now take a deep breath.
Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio www.cbcfindlay.org