Last night I watched a presidential debate for the first time this year. And I was reminded with shocking clarity that even the best form of government is terribly broken, and even the best major political party is unreliable.

For a nominally-informed civilian like myself, I find it overwhelming at times to evaluate all the different policies on immigration, budget reform, and international relations (for example) and conclude which one is the best — the candidates each present their positions quite convincingly and in some cases tear down the others. And when the debate does degenerate into raw (and at times juvenile or even vulgar) argument, it makes the whole process even more distasteful.

Additionally, there is the unknown of whether these candidates could even fulfill their promises if given the chance. I have more confidence in some than others, but all of them face an America divided at the deepest of levels. Then there are all the stories posted to Facebook that accuse this candidate and then another of indecent, deceptive, and immoral campaigning techniques. And to make it worse, an unfortunate common sense analysis of these stories is that it is what it is — it's politics.

The vainglorious attitude of some of the candidates, the necessary self-elevation of the others, the increasing division within both major political parties (no longer liberalism vs. conservatism, but now liberalism vs. socialism vs. populism vs. conservatism), and the significance of the stakes this time regarding abortion, marriage, national security, judicial practice, religious freedom, and national debt further complicate this presidential race.

Now, I happen to believe that a Democratic Republic is the best form of modern government, and I also believe that America has represented the best model of that. Furthermore, by biblical conviction, I hold to a similar worldview as many conservatives in the Republican Party, and I believe there are some candidates who are valid and promising, and one of them will have my vote.

However, I'm convinced that what we need is not the continuation of a Democratic Republic or the election of a conservative Republican candidate (although I hope both happen). Neither that system nor any of those candidates can be the kind of savior we desperately require.

We need an omniscient, omnipotent, gracious King. We need one Leader who knows all things absolutely and has all power unquestionably, but who is loving and merciful unwaveringly. We need Him to rule over all, for all eternity. Nothing less than that will do. That is not just America's hope; that is the only hope for our entire planet.

And that is the very hope that is at the center of what we Christians believe. We believe that the King came to earth once before, not to establish an earthly kingdom, but to deliver us from our spiritual tyrant (Hebrews 2:14-18). And having died on a cross for the sin of the world and having been raised from the dead to prove His victory, we are persuaded that He is awaiting the set time to reclaim Earth as His rightful domain (Ephesians 1:20-23). And He will come, and He will reign in power and excellence, in goodness and grace, in righteousness and truth, in joy and glory forever and ever. Our only hope is You, King Jesus!

So, what a blessed foretaste to turn off the debate, get into bed, wake up the next morning ... and gather with the body of Christ on the Lord's Day! "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7). I hope my candidate wins the White House, but I know my King will win the world! That confidence is a needed anchor as the political climate changes and as the global storm clouds gather.

The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be monumentally confusing and impacting — and I don't think that surprises any of us. But don't allow the uncertainties and perplexities of this process to excuse your ignorance and justify your non-participation. Instead, let me encourage you to thinkingly inform yourself of the candidates and issues in order to take advantage of our God-given and government-given right to be "salt and light" (Matthew 5:13-16) in the election process.

To help you do so, let me strongly recommend two resources:

First, listen or read Al Mohler's episode of "The Briefing" on Tuesday, January 26. In this 20-minute podcast, Mohler thoughtfully analyzes the presidential race from a Christian worldview, interestingly explains the non-traditional political philosophies underlying the two front-running candidates, and helpfully guides the Christian voter in biblical principles that should inform his/her decision.

​Second, read this article by Joel C. Rosenberg. It's a personal, not political, blog entry, and it is a bit outdated now (published November 24, 2015). However, it is a fairly helpful (albeit not exhaustive) overview of the most promising conservative and evangelical candidates.

While the last two posts on this blog have been of a more political nature, there is no intention to make this a political blog. Rather, I hope this venue will continue to serve as a "ministry of grace" (Ephesians 4:29)—biblically, thoughtful, carefully, and graciously addressing many different areas that concern the follower of Jesus. Undeniably, some of those areas right now are of a political nature.

At the end of "The Briefing" episode mentioned above, Mohler helps frame these issues in their proper place within the broader Christian worldview. He writes,

Finally, Christians have to always remember the balance—that politics is important, but it’s never ultimate. Politics can’t deliver us, no matter who is elected. And that means that we have to put this into a perspective, a proper biblical perspective, where we understand the urgency and the importance of voting rightly, and we take responsibility as Christians citizens to do that which is right according to the Christian worldview, according to our own biblical principles, our own Christian reasoning. But we also understand that we can never fall for political promises of the Right or the Left...that will promise us more than politics can deliver.

We indeed await the perfect government of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7), but until then we represent Him as best we can, even in our political responsibilities.