The most common time that I am uncomfortable in a political conversation is when I am with fellow Christian conservatives that are acquaintances. Why? Because I will be sitting in a gathering at a church and someone will begin to harp on President Obama, then another person will join in, then another, until everyone is talking about him in very negative terms. If I am fortunate, it ends there and doesn't devolve into "Obama is a Muslim," or "Obama hates America," etc. Let me lay it out plainly: I disagree with many of Obama's policies, I believe he is severely misguided, and I think his ideas are dangerous for America, but I also believe that he honestly believes that his policies are the best thing for America. I also don't know what his standing before the Creator is, but I will pray for him. I will respect the position he holds, even if I don't think that he always does. Why do I do these things?
Because Paul commanded us to be in subjection to the governing authorities, because there is no authority except from God (Romans 13). I may align most closely to the Republicans. I have friends who are committed Christians who align more closely with the Democrats. But in the end, we are all (or at least should be) monarchists. We serve the King, and all authority derives from Him. He has blessed us with the opportunity to choose those he appoints over us, but we must not mistake this for His abdication of authority. This is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the beginning and the end. He is the supreme court of the universe. He is the ultimate authority.
He has already claimed His dominion over this world. We must live in such a way that we show that we believe that. This world is passing away. Death has been defeated. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died for us, washed us with his blood, understood our griefs and took them upon Himself, rose triumphant over the grave, reigns in power in the heavenly realms, and will reign forever, is our Lord and Master. He is in control, and despite the mistrust many of us feel toward political leaders with whom we disagree, we must move toward a higher trust of Him who raises up kings and replaces them with other kings in His time (Daniel 2:21).
It especially pains me when I see (and oftentimes find myself feeling) despair in the pro-life movement over the inability to influence political leaders to challenge this culture of death. It is especially tempting, and I find myself thinking this way often, to think badly of President Obama and others like him who collaborate in advancing the culture of death. And yet to do so compromises our message. We should grieve, but we should not despair. To do so would admit a falsehood, claiming in our minds that Christ, who has already conquered death, does not hold dominion here. He has already defeated death, and He will overthrow the culture of death. He is the Lord of Life, not of death. Death has been defeated, and those who prop up the culture of death are doing so only because He has shown them mercy that they might turn to Him, just as He showed each of us mercy in not crushing us for our iniquity, but allowing Himself to be crushed for it in our place.
But we cannot live as subjects of the true King without knowing Him. He has revealed Himself to us through His word. We must study it to understand the King we serve. We must ask Him for wisdom to understand that which we read, wisdom that He freely gives. And when we encounter Him, we respond in the only way we reasonably can: we fall on our faces before His glory and worship and adore Him. This lamb who was slain reigns. We must crown Him in our hearts every day and recognize His authority first and foremost. Crown Him With Many Crowns. This hymn was written in 1852 by Matthew Bridges and added to by Godfrey Thring in 1874. It is sung to Diademata, a tune written by George J. Elvey in 1868.
Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heav'nly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity.
Crown Him the virgin's son,
The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
As of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows,
The Babe of Bethlehem.
Crown Him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod,
Crown Him the Son of Man;
Who ever grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
That all in Him may rest.
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of peace,
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
And round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
Crown Him the Lord of love,
Behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of Heav'n,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is giv'n
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns,
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For He is King of all.
Crown Him the Lord of lords,
Who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
For ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night,
Their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown Him the Lord of years,
The potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me;
They praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity.
(Public Domain)
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