Dear Friends
President Obama and Daniel 2
It was fascinating to watch the historic inauguration of President Obama a few days ago. The story of Obama’s rise from his African past to become the leader of the most powerful nation on earth is the inspirational American dream at its best and this event stated for all to see that the dream is the dream of all peoples not just the right of white people.
I watched it live on a website that permitted comments to be posted up on the site while we were watching. These comments and most of the interviews revealed a desperate hope that this man would solve the world’s problems. And how important hope is – I am reminded of a quote that I think was made by Martin Luther King who said “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”
But then some of the expressions of hope began to get a little wild – one man stated that he hoped the president would solve his personal mortgage problem. And then came the height of a folly based hope. Several were posted up during the prayer by Rick Warren and said that the prayer was a waste of time – our hope was in Obama not God!
Several Bible passages came to my mind including
Psalm 118:8-9   It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
and
Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

The sad record is that there is no hope for a better land on the cursed earth. You would think that the simple message of the vision of Daniel 2 would have got home to all of us even without knowing the vision of the statue and the stone. The great leaders and successive empires of Daniel 2 demonstrate, that neither wealth, nor brute force, nor strategic brilliance, nor the iron rule of law, and in the time of the toes not strategic alliances, nor the ideals of communism or the economic theories of capitalism, can deliverer us that better land.

While we pray for and hope that President Obama will do well and the progress of the gospel be assisted, we look to a kingdom whose hope is founded on the Rock kingdom which is cut out and conquerors without human assistance [Daniel 2.34 and 8.25].

I would encourage you to keep the trust of your soul anchored to the Hope that is sure and steadfast and stands in the presence of God almighty [Hebrews 6.19].

Llewellyn Edwards