A LESSON AND A WARNING FROM THE SHUTDOWN

Last evening President Trump signed off on ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history—43 days. The shutdown ended when eight Democrat senators decided that the widespread disruption and chaos caused by the shutdown had gone on long enough and voted with the Republicans to open the government.

But make no mistake! This shutdown was not about policy. This shutdown was about power and was driven by power-hungry politicians more concerned with acquiring power than contributing to the well-being of the people they represent. In fact, most Democrats were willing to continue to inflict pain on millions because they believed it was giving them “leverage,” meaning “power.”

Recently, there have been some large “No Kings” rallies targeting Donald Trump because the organizers accuse him of acting like a king. But if he were a king he would have kept the government open despite what the minority was doing in the Senate, where they used a procedural tactic (the filibuster) to act like kings and impose their will over the majority.

They were willing to inflict suffering on millions if it would lead to them acquiring power. Their obsession with power only ended when a few clear-minded Democrats, like Senator Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted to end the chaos.

This should be a flashing red light to every American for it has been power-hungry emperors, popes, generals, prime ministers, etc. that have created the most oppressive regimes in human history. Sir John Acton was right, when after doing an extensive examination of secular and Christian history, wrote, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Power in the hands of Bernie Sanders, AOC, Zohran Mamdani and their power-hungry colleagues would be the end of the America of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. It would be the end of this land of liberty—the end of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Such love of power is antithetical to Biblical Christianity, for when God came down to earth, He let go of power. He did not show up at the political power center in Rome nor the religious power center in Jerusalem, but in a stable in the insignificant village of Bethlehem with a feeding trough for a bed.

Jesus continually warned against the pursuit of power. When James and John requested the two most powerful seats in His kingdom, one on the right and the other on the left, Jesus harshly rebuked them and told them they were thinking like pagans. He then told them that anyone who wants to be great must become a “servant” (Mark 10:37-45).

This is where we get the idea of calling government officials “public servants.” Based on the teachings of Jesus, leadership is to be characterized by service, not power and control.

America was founded on this philosophy of government and leadership. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered to man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen.” Every Founding Father agreed.

Because America’s Founders held Jesus and his teachings in such high regard, they sought to create a nation whose government would be characterized by service rather than power. They therefore prayerfully divided the powers of government into an executive branch, a judicial branch and two legislative branches.

They instituted checks and balances for the purpose of keeping absolute power out of the hands of any one person or group of persons. They agreed with Thomas Paine who in his popular book, Common Sense, wrote, “Government at its best is a necessary evil; and at its worst, an intolerable one.”

So, when you hear politicians today promising to use governmental power to solve every problem and meet every need, you should run from them. They are looking for power, not the opportunity to serve. They want a powerful, centralized government with their hands controlling the levers of governmental power.

America does not need more government. America needs more God. We can be hopeful for there are signs of spiritual awakening across the land. To read more about the vision of America’s founders and how they were impacted by a Great Awakening, check out the numerous books I have written on this topic, especially 1726: The Year that Defined America.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of the "1726 Project," which is dedicated to informing and educating Americans about the nation's overt Christian birth out of the First Great Awakening and the profound role it had in ending slavery. His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. To schedule him to speak to your church, group or conference, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.