Every day I hear and read disparaging comments and mocking remarks about our present president, the latest an e-mail calling President Barack Obama brainless. While I can appreciate disapproval or disappointment in any president, this behavior concerns me as I believe it exhibits a lack of faith in God. I do not understand why we Christians are so up in arms about politics or the economy or anything else related to President Obama. As the song says, "It's only the world we're living in." This world is not our home; we seek a better country. So we can rest knowing all is well.

On the other hand, do we not believe that God still controls the affairs of men? God raises up whom He wants. We do not want to rail against God. We have no idea what His purposes are or how His plans will unveil. We do not know how many people might turn to God because of what happens during this presidency. In fact, it may be that the abortion laws will be turned around because so many people will turn to God.

God raised up Pharaoh in Egypt and it did not turn out well for the Israelites. No, they were greatly oppressed. God then raised up Moses to go down and bring His people out of Egypt. But what happened to those people who were let go? They all died (except for Joshua and Caleb) in the wilderness. And why did they die? Because they failed to trust God and they murmured and complained. (Sound familiar?)

We need to stop our bellyaching and start trusting that God knows what He is doing here. He will work through this present situation in our country and make it turn out for the best.  And we need to learn to give thanks in all things and wait—wait, I say—upon the Lord!  It may not even be in our lifetime. We may never see the good God is doing today, especially if we keep complaining about it. But good will come!

President Obama must be pretty smart to have made it to the White House. He at least knew how to connect himself to the right people. His view is socialistic. He behaves with that in mind. That is not stupid. That is what we all do—act upon our principles and beliefs. If a man is democratic, he behaves democratically. If he is a socialist, he behaves like a socialist. That is not brainless.

God did not put His stamp of approval on democracy and only democracy for the earth. Sure it gives us freedom, and we like it. But God works just as well in a socialistic government or even an extremely oppressive society. God Himself puts people in oppression for a reason.

Christians, we prayed diligently that God not put this man in as our president. But He did anyway. So what are we to do now? Whimper about it, or trust that God knows best? We say, "Please, God, please, please, please, please, please do this for me. I love you so much. Please!" And God says no and then we say, "Man, I'm so upset that we didn't get this!" Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine.

Is that really to be our response to God when He answers our prayers and says no? Or are we to thank Him for hearing us and thank Him for doing what He knows is best even though we do not know it? What are we expressing when we whine? Are we saying we do not trust God's judgment or are we saying we don't believe God answers our prayers? Either way, it is not pretty.

My son Seth at fourteen behaved better than we do. He begged to go to high school. I told him no. For three days a misery hung over our house because of his sadness. But after the three days he came to me and knelt down at my bed and said, "Thank you, Mom, for doing what you think is best for me." Do you think he didn't still want to go to public school? Of course he did. But he trusted me to be doing what was best for him by homeschooling him. And in the next four years—yes, four years, the length of President Obama’s term—not one bleat or griping word came out of Seth’s mouth. Not one. He showed total respect for me, total faith in me, and total obedience to my decisions. Would that we were so mature and could show the same respect for God’s judgments!

Maybe we need to start thinking about why God has allowed President Obama to become our president. He does have a reason. And I know it is not so we can call the man brainless and murmur constantly about God’s choices. Come on, Christians, we can rise above this kind of thing! We need to put our hearts and minds on things of God and spend our time ministering to others and having graceful conversations seasoned with salt, not bad mouthing the President of the United States of America.