Super Tuesday has come and gone.  There were some surprises...there were some disappointments.  The performance of Mike Huckabee was a surprise.  His strong biblical values and conservative ties resonates with people in the Bible Belt.  Now, with Mitt Romney's dropping out of the race, the question is asked: will Mike Huckabee continue to gain momentum.  He probably will not have enough delegates to win.  But he could garner enough support to greatly impact the Republican Platform for the fall elections.  Conservatism is not dead...but it is wounded.  Conservatism is looking for a leader.  Many thought it would be Mitt Romney, but his Mormon faith stood in the way for many, and his "flip flop" on some issues was definitely a concern.  Will Mike Huckabee be the conservative champion?  Most conservatives are very hesitant about putting trust in John McCain.  I believe he will have quite a task of wooing conservatives. 

On the Democratic side, the results of Super Tuesday proved that the race will be a dogfight down to the convention floor.  In spite of what polls showed days before many of the primaries, Hillary did very well, especially in California.  Obama did well in the Midwest and among black voters across the country.  He also has a strong appeal among the young voters.  Just this past week I was joined in a dinner conversation by a young lady who had attended the Democratic caucus here in the Twin Cities.  She hesitated, she said, between voting for Hillary or Obama.  She chose Obama because he best represented her ideals as a young person.  One cannot deny that he has charisma that is attracting many. 

And, of course the other major headline for the week was the severe weather that plagued the southeast and the Midwest.  Record snowfall across America's heartland.  Disastrous tornadoes in the south with the death toll now nearing 60.  The snowfall - well that means it is still winter in the Midwest.  But the tornadoes - that is something more likely to happen in April or May, not the first of February.  And, here is the irony, all this happened on Super Tuesday.  Wednesday, as I sat in my study pondering over my notes in Isaiah, a thought struck me.  As our class has been learning in our study of this amazing book, Isaiah constantly was warning, first Ahaz and then Hezekiah, to put their trust in the LORD God of Israel rather than in the ambitious plans of men.  They were to look to God for solutions not to alliances and treaties with others.  Here is that thought that God laid upon my heart: In America today we have decided that we no longer need to look to God.  After all, we have our military might.  We have our technological know-how.  We have our economic well-being...although that is not as strong as it once was.  We have even come to the point where many, sadly including many evangelicals, have decided that there are more than one way to get to God.  We really should stop being so narrow in saying that Jesus is the only way.  So, our confidence is in Wall Street, in the Pentagon, and in Washington DC.  Could God have been making a statement this past Tuesday night as the votes were being cast and plans were being made for a new leader in our country?  Could God has been saying: America, you need to return to me?  Friends, just as Isaiah announced to his country's leadership that God was still in control, so I believe God stated forcefully this past week that He is still in control.  The options we face are identical to those that Ahaz and Hezekiah faced some 27 centuries ago.  Upon whom am I going to place my confidence, my trust?  Will it be upon the plans of men, upon the promises of candidates, upon the hopes of leadership change?  Or will it be upon God? 

My friends, I believe that if we continue down the roadway we are on...the path of isolating God and even of ignoring Him...then we will suffer the same consequences Judah suffered.  God will abandon us.  God will allow us to have our own way.  And the results will not be pretty.  The judgment of God never is.  But there is hope...if we would just return to God, then He will bring healing. 

Thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts.  I am very concerned about the direction our nation is heading.  I fear a coming judgment of God.  I am not sure if I am ready for the persecution that is coming.  But God is speaking to my heart about it.  And I hope He is speaking to yours as well.

So, until our next time together, may God smile upon you with His favor and His love. 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The world has many religions; it has but one Gospel.  (George Owen)