October 25, 2026 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

Abby Cheng

This past Tuesday, Albertans went to the polls to take part in the referendum on provincial separation and autonomy, immigration, and proposed constitutional changes. Today's verse brought our government to my mind as the psalmist prayed to God to “look with favor on Your anointed one.” Today, Christians understand the “anointed one” to be Jesus Christ, the Messiah, but the Israelites at the time of writing referred to their king as God's anointed. Canada does not operate under the same type of government as the Israelites at that time but we are still subject to our own political leaders. No matter what your political leanings are, God has given us believers guidance on how to view and relate to government and political powers. These points were taken and summarized from The Gospel Coalition article, “How Should a Christian View the Government?” by Paul Carter.

Carter draws from Romans 13 and writes that government was established by God to maintain order, restrain wrongdoing, and promote human flourishing. Christians should therefore respect authorities, pay taxes, and generally be thankful for government. However, governments are made up of sinful people and can become corrupt or abusive (the Bible, and of course our world today, are full of examples of this). Believers should respectfully hold leaders accountable and challenge injustice rather than blindly supporting their leaders. Because governments can even be malevolent towards Christians, believers may need to resist, flee, or endure persecution while trusting God. Ultimately, no earthly government is God's Kingdom, and government cannot save or redeem humanity. Christians can serve within government and work for the common good, but our ultimate hope belongs to Christ and His coming Kingdom.

Let's keep these principles in mind as we pray for our government, city, province, country, and world. All glory to our true King and Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior!