2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
One of the roles of government is to help people live peaceful and quiet lives. That is why Paul says we need to pray for our government officials. The implied reality is that government can just plain get in the way of peace and quiet sometimes. They can create disorder and noise of many kinds if they are not governing is a godly manner, according to godly principles. In this year’s election cycle many expect the government to solve problems that individuals are supposed to be solving. They want the government to get involved in every area of our lives and the workings of planet earth. To them the government is the solution, the savior. But the more intrusive the government is the less peaceful and quiet life becomes. I want the government to do government sized jobs like defending our borders. I don’t want them telling me what books my six year old should be reading in school. I don’t want them defining relationships according to their standards. The smaller the job of the government the more we can be involved in kingdom business without their interference. Before large government programs to take care of the poor, the churches did a great job of not only feeding and clothing the poor, but also of providing dignity and hope. But the government become involved and has now pushed faith communities to the side, although the best work is still done without government funds by faith communities. Now the government strips dignity and hope, enslaving recipients to a lifetime of dependency. The role of the government is to get out the way of the most powerful force in the universe, the church of the Living God. When God gets to do His work, then living lives of godliness and holiness is uninhibited by the government’s oppressive intrusions. As you can tell, I am not a big fan of governments. They too often continue to take more and more power from us as they inevitably feed on themselves and grow. We get sucked up in the process loosing the freedoms that God designed us to enjoy. So as you get ready to vote this fall, consider the limited role of government and vote accordingly.
The Arnold Journey 