God sometimes answers prayer in strange, mysterious, and even fearful ways (Ps. 65:5; Rev. 8:4-5). Perhaps we are witnessing one of these “awe-ful” answers in the present Obamacare debacle.
“What? You mean you prayed for Obamacare to fail?”
Yes, many Christians did, and for good reasons too. It’s not just because of the mandates that required employers and individuals to fund abortion, sex-change operations, life-killing contraception, etc. It’s also the deeper and wider principle of lost freedom and personal choices, especially when the thief of that liberty is an increasingly intrusive government that is displaying growing hostility to Christian faith and practice.
Secular Saviors
Some hoped that the 2012 election would stop the juggernaut; others looked to the Supreme Court; and some even hoped that the government shutdown would lead to an Obamacare shutdown. But when neither Mitt Romney, Chief Justice John Roberts, nor Ted Cruz proved successful saviors, many gave up all hope and could see no way of deliverance from this nation-transforming legislation.
Little did anyone think that President Obama would destroy it all by himself with lying promises, gross mismanagement, and incompetent leadership. It looks like a house of cards in a hurricane at the moment.
This is not coincidence. This is providence. It appears that God has answered His people’s prayers in a most unexpected way, in a way that no Republican gets (or deserves) the credit for, and in a way that may set back “progressive” liberalism for years. Even if some aspects of Obamacare do eventually get off the ground, the President’s loss of popularity and credibility has fatally weakened his pro-abortion, pro-homosexual militancy. God is not mocked.
“But don’t you care, and doesn’t God care, for the uninsured and for people with pre-existing conditions?”
Of course I do, and of course He does. (And how I wish more Republicans would share, show, and speak of that care too).
However, while Obamacare would have helped a percentage of the uninsured and the uninsurable, the moral, social, and financial cost was far too great. It may have started out with good motives but it was hijacked by “progressives” to fundamentally change public and private morality, to transfer wealth from the rich to the poor, and to transform America into a more government-centric and government-dependent society.
Hear the cries
But as we thank God for hearing the cries of His people, let us also now hear the cries of the uninsured and the uninsurable. This is a huge opportunity for conservatives to show what real compassion looks like, not just in words, but in policies, and action. Where is the conservative leader that will stand with these suffering and needy people? And where are the conservative policies that will fill this vacuum and provide justice for the weak?
For that matter, where are the Christian voices? With very few exceptions, all I’ve heard is “Stop Obamacare,” but how about “Start ChristCare.”
I’m convinced that if the Old Testament Prophets were living today, their passion for justice and their compassion for the oppressed would produce powerful sermons against our self-centered disregard for the suffering in our communities, and against our obsession with our premiums and our deductibles.
Jesus also repeatedly demonstrated his compassion for the sick by his healing miracles. We don’t have His miracles today, but we can have His heart and He’s given us His money.
President Obama would be well within his rights to turn around to us and say, “Well at least I tried. What have you done?”
ChristCare Principles?
Why can’t Christians and Christian churches step up and provide mercy ministry to those who cannot get insurance due to pre-existing conditions or the high cost of health care. Or at least we can outline the Christian principles of caring for the sick and the poor so that our politicians can have some biblical guidance to formulate a policy that will work.
What would be the basic principles and practices of “ChristCare”? I’ll try to answer that tomorrow, but in the meantime I’d welcome your thoughts and ideas.