Cooperation Optional

     Many Christians today are very disturbed about the leaders of our country and the nations of the world.  One of the reasons I am not is from my study of Isaiah at BSF this year, specifically from learning about Cyrus. 150 years before he was born, Cyrus was named by God as the ruler who would allow the Jews to leave Babylonian captivity and to rebuild Jerusalem. The accuracy of this fulfillment is so disturbing to skeptics that they claim it had to have been written after the fact. People who don't believe in prophecy are so predictable. 
      Although the wording of his edict for the Jews to return shows that he believed the prophecy, by historical accounts Cyrus' inclusive, multicultural approach to the religions of his conquered subjects would have fit in well with today's "all roads lead to heaven" philosophy.  I have come to believe that the reason the name was given so specifically was not to convince Cyrus to fulfill the prophecy, but to convince the Israelites to obey him.  I'm sure they were wondering "Why Cyrus, why not some nice Jewish boy?".  As humiliating as it was for Israel to be punished by Gentile nations more sinful than themselves, it was worse to be sent on God's business by an idolatrous heathen.  But for me this is an encouragement that God uses leaders to fulfill His purposes whether they believe in Him or not.
     It would be wonderful to have godly men at the helm of our country again and we should help to get those people elected, but God's purposes will be accomplished no matter who our leaders are.  Great blessing comes to those who cooperate with God and great pain to those who stand in His way; it is usually better to be standing on the rock than under it. But ultimately cooperation is optional, God's will is not. I used to tell my children, "You can do God's will the easy way or you can do it the hard way, but you WILL do God's will.  Pharoah was an example of doing God's will the hard way, hence the plagues.  Xerxes, in the book of Esther, was clueless about God, God's will and just about everything thing else, although that might be true of anyone after a year long toga party.  But a godless man pursuing his own godless purposes, wound up serving God's purposes in taking care of God's people.
     We are God's people and I believe God can take care of us in spite of clueless, godless and downright evil rulers.  I pray for them to know God and to cooperate with His will and I pray for me to be a part of doing God's will, but I don't worry that God's will is being thwarted by puny humans.  Psalm two says such roaring of rebellious rulers makes God laugh, it should not make me cry.