On God's Side

Yesterday I heard Jim Wallis and two others (one being a rabbi) talk about religion and society's problems, including politics. They discussed how we need to work for the common good.

Jim Wallis, author of the recent book On God's Side, reminded us that Lincoln was more concerned about discerning what God was doing and being on His side, than with invoking God to be on our side. At the end one of the other panelists promised that when we stand up for justice, God's light will shine and we'll be victorious. He cited a recent example where a voter ID law was defeated. However, he didn't mention that, in the same state, a marriage amendment was defeated that would have defined it as between a man and a woman, despite a large outcry from the religious community.

I think Jim Wallis has provided the right exhortation. We need to find where God's light is shining and go stand in it. Instead we stand on our issues and ask God's light and power to illuminate our efforts. Are we on God's side or are we asking Him to be on our side? We need to walk humbly with our God, and make sure we know His heart and His thoughts rather than project onto Him our thoughts and our feelings.