Hi Chuck,
This is an interesting article, especially since we have all exercised such thoughts of what we would do if we were President, or if we had the power to change things.
Things begin to change in our thoughts when we come to Christ and learn that while He has given men to be in power in this world, He is actually running the whole show in absolute sovereignty. That is what Nebuchadnezzar, a man that was granted more ability to exercise absolute rule than perhaps any other, came to see and profess:
“And at the end of days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes to Heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him Who lives forever, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His rule is from generation to generation. And all the people of the earth are counted as nothing; and He does according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the people of the earth. And none can strike His hand, or say to Him, What are You doing? At that time my reason returned to me. And the glory of my kingdom, my honor and brightness returned to me. And my advisers and my lords came for me, and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honor the King of Heaven, all Whose works are truth and His ways judgment. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble” (Daniel 4:34-37 MKJV).
While man has his plans, God has His. The life of a person who is Christ’s is a life that is in harmony with God’s plans. Take Jesus as our Supreme Example. He did not intervene in the political affairs of Rome or Judea. Why? He said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”
Why is the United States caught in the trap of Iraq? We see the hand of God at work, delivering the United States over to the perfect execution of justice for her arrogance and sins, which must work until God’s judgment is complete. There are, or course, other instruments of judgment at work in America and the world, because God has told us by Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, alluded to above, that He will bring down all the kingdoms of men as He raises up His own to fill the whole earth.
Removing the troops from Iraq is not dealing with the underlying cause of judgment, and therefore it will not work. The reality is that there is nothing the United States can do as a nation because the hand of God has appeared and has spelled out the sentence: “Weighed in the balances and found wanting,” just as He did with all previous kingdoms of men, which have fallen and will now fall one final time as the entire image comes down (see Daniel 2).
The Western democracies, led by the U.S., are the last kingdom, represented by feet of iron and clay (the ruled and the ruling reigning at once). What person professing faith in the Son of God can argue that His judgment on these is not just and necessary, and that man, over these past several thousand years, has been able to get things right? God never expected that men could. Only men have. We have all needed to be disillusioned, not cynically, but by the Light of all men causing us to see.
So what are we to do? Look to the Lord! He is the Savior! He has been faithful and has shown us the Way (He being the Way), and He has provided us with wisdom to answer all things. Please read: For Whom Do We Vote? Also read the follow up articles linked in the document.