Five Things Worth Celebrating on Election Day by Kevin DeYoung

I appreciated these reflections from Kevin DeYoung over at The Gospel Coalition, especially as a balance and a balm to the burning anxiety that many of us can feel going into election day:

1. I'm thankful I get to vote. "As annoying as the pandering and obfuscation can be in debates and rallies and advertisements, isn’t it better to have a system where politicians desperately want your vote rather than a system where the politicians don’t have to make anyone happy except for a class of warlords and plutocrats?"
2. I'm thankful that the nastiness of our politics could be much nastier. "We should all be grateful than no matter what happens today there is a very, very good chance that Obama will begin another four years or Romney will take office without the nation descending into civil war. The peaceful continuation or transfer of power is a remarkable gift."
3. I'm thankful for the Electoral College. "I’m glad that the election does not come down to voter turnout in the same megacities every four years. I’m glad that because of our confusing process, the most powerful man in the world has to make inroads with people from all over the country."
4. I'm thankful for our two party system. "The present political climate may seem polarizing, but the parties themselves cannot be prone to extremes. This may be disappointing when we feel like the “extreme” position is actually the right one, but on the whole it’s better for the peace and stability of the country that our parties must gravitate toward moderation and must find a way to form a broad coalition of supporters rather than only courting a narrow slice of the electorate."
5. I'm thankful for checks and balances. "Given the realities of human depravity and the corrupting influence of power, I’m grateful no one, not even the President, has the authority or the power in this country to make all his dreams come true."
   (Read the entire article here.)

And, of course, this has always been the ultimate antacid for me every election season: the sovereignty of God even over American politics. This is not an excuse from getting involved and casting informed and biblically grounded votes, but it is a corrective to the Christian political rage at our country's supposed descent into a modern Sodom or Gomorrah.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
(Romans 13:1 ESV)

Pray for our country today, and pray for our president tomorrow.