By Marney Blom
This morning I woke up in Jerusalem to the shocking news that the Liberal Party of Canada, which had been leading slightly in the polls, swept into power with a majority government in yesterday’s federal election.
Canada’s prime minister of nine years Stephen Harper is out, and Justin Trudeau, the son of the late PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau is in.
For die-hard supporters of Stephen Harper, today is a day of mourning and bewilderment. In many ways the 43-year-old Justin Trudeau embodies the antithesis of our former PM.
Harper advocated balancing the budget, Trudeau endorses increased government spending and debt. Harper holds a masters degree in economics – not a bad credential in times of growing economic turbulence – Trudeau an unfinished masters of arts in environmental geography. Harper is unabashedly pro-Israel, the young Trudeau openly a friend of Imams and mosques linked to terrorism.
We scratch our heads, “Say what?”
Although the people of Canada voted yesterday for change, a transformation could be on the way. So how do we, who love God and pray for our country, respond?
I am reminded of a meeting I attended in 2009, a Watchmen for the Nations Christian gathering in Ottawa – the culmination of 12 years of prayer gatherings attended by devout Christians from across the nation. During that particular gathering there was much celebration for what had taken place during the span of twelve years. We had witnessed a clear transition of Canadian governance from Liberal socialist red, to Conservative blue lead by an evangelical PM who displayed moral clarity on a number of key issues, not least of which was his unwavering support for Israel. For most evangelicals the latter is non-negotiable.
However in the days prior to the shift in government that had taken place over a decade ago, I had noticed a transformation in the hearts of the “warriors” who prayed for Canada. Even though we struggled with the socialist policies of the Liberal government of the day, there was a shift in our hearts to not only bless the government God had entrusted to us, but to speak words of life and blessing. The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21).
And it worked! As Canadian believers practiced blessing their government, it began to transform before our eyes. Something to remember as we grapple with concern for the future of our country under its’ new government. Let’s not forget the transformations of the past, and carefully select what we say about the government of our future.
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