Psalm 75:5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. 6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
This passage of scripture teaches us that promotion in any line or occupation, comes from God, who sets one up or takes down another at His discretion. The passage also cautions us against vaunting ourselves, even if it may be with the very best of intentions, for the Bible teaches us that we should not indulge the practice of lauding and praising ourselves, but that we should leave it for others to do, if at all it is warranted or becomes necessary. Let's read:
Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Politics is the art of striving for the highest place, and when seeking or running for office, there is almost an inevitable necessity to highlight one's own achievements, while at the same time denigrating, or casting aspersions on the motives and deeds of one's competitors. But the very principle upon which political maneuvering is founded is directly contrary to the principles of God's kingdom, and although we have now become accustomed to this mode of thought and action, yet it remains entirely contrary to the kingdom of God, for in God's government, those who strive to be first end up being last, and those who were last are given first place.
Throughout the pages of sacred history we can find numerous instances where godly men and women were brought into power through the providence of God, but in no instance were they found running for, or competing for political office. In the instance of Joseph, God brought him into a position of great authority in the land of Egypt, and it was solely by His will and doings, and not that of Joseph's. Again, in the example of Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, positions of trust and great authority in the kingdom of Babylon were granted to them through the work of God in the affairs of men, but not for once do we read of any infighting amongst themselves and their fellows, for the highest place in the kingdom. Let's read:
Daniel 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
However, in our day we have established a democratic system of government by the people, and for the people, using the voting process as a means of establishing who should be the next in line to rule our great nation. God often works through normal human channels to get His will done, and in our current political process, He still promotes and sets up presidents, judges, and legislators, even though many might be prone to think that these activities are of our own doing. Behind the scenes, God still sits on the throne of the universe, silently and deliberately working out His own plans for the benefit of humanity and for His own glory. Hence the reason why it is not necessary for anyone to be found striving for the highest political office in the land, for if one must run, the principles of God's kingdom should at all times bear sway, and the usual back-biting and heated exchanges must be avoided at all costs.
Let us therefore cultivate a meek and humble spirit in all things, and in due time God will lift us up, if it is in accordance with His purposes. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms to us the fact that the presidency of the United States sits squarely in God's hands, and whatsoever might be the outcome of the electoral process, let us know for certain that God's will is being done, and as such there will be no need to strive and battle for the highest place. Let's read:
Daniel 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!