Where the real power is!
I’m here in Canberra for the Prime Time week away and it’s impossible not to feel the weight of power. Parliament House stands ominously on the top of a hill almost looking down on Canberra, as if declaring that it is at the centre of all that is going on. Nicky and I have been out for morning walks and as you look up at buildings, you’re surrounded by the machinery of governance - the places where the laws, the lobbying, and the leaders who shape the nation all spend their time. It feels like this is where our part of the world is moved.
But the Apostle Peter offers a perspective that completely flips the script on how we view all this.
In 1 Peter 2:13-17, we are told to submit ourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority. Whether it's the emperor or a local governor, Peter argues that by doing good and showing proper respect, we silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. So in a very real sense, as Christians we should honour and respect those over us. This doesn’t mean we have to agree or unthinkingly comply but it does mean we are not aggressive or disagree with vitriol and hate. God calls us to show radical respect.
And we do this gladly because we know the deeper reality about who we are and whose we are. Peter reminds us that we are God’s slaves called to live as those who sit under his authority first and foremost. We honour and respect those in governance over us but we do so remembering who our true master is.
It is tempting to think that the most influential thing we can do for our country is to lobby a politician or win a policy debate. While civic engagement has its place, it isn't our ultimate source of strength.
Indeed, real power doesn’t reside in a marble building on a hill in the ACT. Real power is in heaven. We have absolutely nothing to fear because we know the one who holds the stars in place and the hearts of kings in his hand. If we want to see change, we have to remember that prayer is the most powerful thing we can do, far outweighing the influence of any political lobby. When we talk to the creator of the universe, we are engaging with a power that no earthly thing can touch. We are engaging with the power that really moves things.
Let’s be people of prayer therefore, casting all our anxieties on him because he cares for us.
