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Will a New Leader
Solve Our Problems?
Why, after political leaders' perennial promises
to fix all our problems, are the obstacles still with us? Why, when so many hope
and labor for positivechange, does it remain tantalizingly out of reach?
by John Elliott
Democratic countries
throughout the world elect leaders to run their governments. Winds of change bring
the promise of brighter futures to people everywhere. At least that's what the stream
of promises from political candidates would lead people to believe.
Changes for the better are welcomed by nearly everyone. Knowing this, candidates
on every side strive to highlight what's wrong with their political adversaries and
contrast it with the good that will come if only they are elected. After all, a candidate
must convincingly make the case that he can make things better.
In a world of difficulty and danger, people want their lives to get better. Yet,
in spite of so many promised improvements, citizens face obstacles that do nothing
but escalate-whether the dilemmas are local or global or somewhere in between. Complex
problems confound governments, economies, politicians and the physical environment.
Conflicts and sorrows are so pervasive that writer Aldous Huxley observed that maybe
our world is "another planet's hell."
Trial and error
Do solutions to our problems exist? If so, where are they?
Many people have put forward ideas that were supposed to end everybody's difficulties
and usher in a utopian age of one kind or another. The roots of big government hark
back to the Sumerian kingdom of Mesopotamia of around 3,000 B.C. An early Sumerian
ruler, Nimrod-whose name happens to appear in Genesis 10:8-12-became one of the planet's
first tyrants. Eventually the Babylonian domination of the region, the cradle of
civilization, spawned a governmental system that has ultimately involved many of
the great empires of the world.
Successive empires devised ingenious tactics and philosophies to address humanity's
problems. The attempted fixes continue and proliferate. They have included education,
greater mechanization, bigger cities, more sports and entertainment, greater wealth
and trade, and massive
ruling empires.
Modern cultures are the result of thousands of years of attempts at improving
the world. Yet the problems remain.
What if?
What if it were your responsibility to lead a nation? Where would you take it? How
would you address its challenges
and problems?
Consider the promises the major candidates recently made in their run for the U.S.
presidency. Between them they pledged to:
Do these proposed programs sound familiar? They should. Politicians
have been promising to solve the same problems for decades. Yet they remain, some
worse than ever.
The lesson is this: The right government, the correct plan and the perfect person in a crucial
position of leadership aren't what we have now, nor has any human government ever
had such a person. Although many have tried, no humanly devised government in any
country in any age has managed to make much progress down the road to
creating a perfect civilization.
Good news is coming
But we shouldn't despair. Incredibly good news waits on the horizon. A perfect leader
with a perfect plan exists, and He is carefully assembling a government fully able
to do all the things that need to be done.
The human mind laughs at such a utopian prospect, even while leaders work to concoct
their own new world order. But an appointed person and His staff are preparing to
step in and put the world on its feet. The Israelite prophet Isaiah outlined the
plan:
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be
on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be
no end. He will reign ... over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice
and righteousness from that time on and for ever" (Isaiah 9:6, New International
Version).
We humans are far too recent on the historical timeline, too eager, immature and
impetuous. We think solutions are far less complex and deep-rooted than they are.
That so many of our problems and dilemmas have remained with us-not only for a few
presidential administrations but for thousands of years-should sober us.
Fixing the ills of mankind is not simple, even for God. He and His Son, Jesus Christ,
haven't simply been killing time while waiting for the right moment to intervene
in people's affairs. They have worked diligently to prepare for a major overhaul
of the planet. Quite a few aspects of the solution-which will necessarily be a divine
solution-are much more complex than we can imagine.
Points in God's master plan
Biblical history and prophecy reveal strategies God has implemented and will carry
out to bring about a just, peaceful and prosperous world. They include:
This list covers some of the most important aspects of the
massive preparations God has had underway for longer than human beings have existed.
Another change needed
Could you or I implement any of the above points? We have to admit that most of the
items are far beyond our abilities. Yet they are necessary to solve the problems
that plague mankind.
Even so, yet another vital step is missing. Without it many of the dramatic changes
represented by the items on the list could never come about, and we could never see
a peaceful, fulfilling world.
The culprit for humanity's ills is within us-our very nature. While Christian movements
have reached much of the world, they have not tamed the inner man. British historian
Paul Johnson observed that, in spite of Christianity's civilizing influence, "there
is a cruel and pitiless nature in man which is sometimes impervious to Christian
restraints and encouragements" (A History of Christianity, 1976, p. 517).
God alone can solve our problems. Ultimately He will remove humanity's greedy, selfish
nature along with the wicked influence of the devil (John 8:44; Revelation 20:1-3).
Only by removing the sources of man's problems can we begin to eradicate our problems.
God will replace our self-centeredness with an attitude of service and love oriented
toward the well-being of others. Of that day God says, "I will put my laws in
their hearts, and I will write them on their minds" (Hebrews 10:16, NIV).
It is through the administration of the perfect government of God, in the coming
Kingdom of God, that humanity will
ultimately find happiness.
God's strategic solution
The Bible defines sin as "the transgression of (God's) law" (1John 3:4,
King James Version). Sin lies at the root of every human difficulty. No man can heal
the countless wounds that result from sin. We can't, on our own, erase its mental
and emotional agony. We can't undo the dreadful toll of warfare, slavery and persecution.
It is not in us to change the greed and selfishness that motivate so many.
Sometimes we can't even differentiate between villains and victims in a world where
people are too often both. We can't restructure the world and pay for the wrongs
our fellow human beings have endured. The human race, from one end to the other,
needs to repent, to change its ways and start afresh with a new spirit leading the
way, the Spirit of God. Only with repentance, forgiveness and a change of nature
can God remove and right the wrongs.
This is what it will take to do away with wars, crime, abuse, discrimination and
a whole host of problems. If you wonder what you would do if you could be president,
remember what real solutions entail. None of us has the intelligence, influence or
stamina to fix what's wrong with the world. The solutions lie in the hands of God
Himself. Let's be glad He works tirelessly to prepare to handle them when Christ
returns.
You can play a part
There's an old saying: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
What can you do to avoid being a part of the problem? Should you run for government
office?
When Jesus lived on earth, setting us a perfect example, He said: "My kingdom
is not of this world" (John 18:36). He didn't abolish disease, although He healed
many. He didn't stop crime, yet He had compassion on its victims. He didn't stop
oppression, but He taught others not to oppress anyone else. He called Himself and
His disciples the light of the world, engaging them as examples of God's way of life
(Matthew 5:14-16).
Those God calls today have an invitation to be examples of godly love and concern
(Colossians 3:12-15). Jesus needs assistants who are willing to prepare to rule with
Him while learning to choose right rather than wrong and govern their lives by the
light of God's Word.
Remember Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan and learn to be a good neighbor, helping
others as the opportunities arise. That is the mind-set of Christ that will guide
His rule over the nations in His coming Kingdom (Matthew 25:36). An important responsibility
for Christians who are concerned about righting wrongs is to pray for the leaders
of their nations that God's people can proclaim the gospel of His Kingdom without
undue hindrance (1Timothy 2:1-4; Colossians 4:2-4).
An incredible future ahead
If you have ever wished you could be part of a government that really made a difference,
then seek to be an ambassador of Christ's coming government (2Corinthians 5:20).
An ambassador is a representative a government appoints to represent it to others.
God calls people today to be representatives of His government to all other governments
and peoples. You could become one of His ambassadors, a representative to reflect
His way of life.
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