It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
- Psalm 118:8-9
Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
- Psalm 146:3, 5
These verses (and others like them) have been running through my mind frequently over the past couple weeks. The U.S. is deep into health care debate for the second time in a decade, and I'm amazed by how familiar this new round seems. The minority party complains about a secretive writing process, about a wildly unpopular bill that they claim is being rushed through Congress, and about fellow politicians who are more concerned about their party than the American people. The Republicans seem to be doing all the things they complained about eight years ago, and the Democrats seem to be complaining about all the things they did eight years ago. (Now I would guess that members of each party would probably tell me that what they did was technically different from what the others did, but I say that if you need a technical argument to explain why your actions aren't as bad as someone else's, then you're almost certainly doing things you really shouldn't be doing. Good morals do not involve trying to get away with absolutely everything you can.)
As I watch the debates around the U.S. Senate's proposal unfold, I can't help but feel like many of us have been suckered. We've been led to believe that our leaders are going to get things right and take care of all of us. We've been told (whether directly or indirectly) that the politicians and party we support can give us what we need when it comes to health care and national security and civil liberties. But they can't. They won't. To me, the last ten years of health care debate show that there really isn't that big of a difference between the two parties. We're getting the same questionable processes; only the roles have reversed. At this point I believe I can confidently say that, whether or not the Republicans pass new health care legislation, the system is not going to be "fixed." Some people that aren't benefiting under the current system will benefit under the new system. Some people that do benefit under the current system won't benefit under the new one.
I don't have the answers when it comes to health care. Nor should you expect me to have the answers. I'm a pastor, not a doctor or an insurance provider or a legal expert. But to my fellow Americans (and really to people everywhere) I say, stop it! We need to stop trusting politicians to save us or protect us or watch out for us. Don't get me wrong: politics are important. Health care is important. We should pay attention and participate in the process where we can. But let's not be surprised when our fellow human beings let us down. That's what people do. Other people let us down and we let other people down. Let's not depend on our leaders to set our lives and our country straight. To my brothers and sisters in Christ, shame on us for trusting in politicians. We should know better than that. Only our Triune God is worthy of our trust. To those who don't believe in Christ, I urge you to put your trust in Jesus. I can't guarantee your health care will be great or your life will be easy. But Jesus is totally trustworthy. He offers peace and joy in the midst of turmoil and everlasting, resurrected life after death. And unlike human beings, He knows what we really need.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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