The unsuccessful recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom tells us much about the present condition of this once esteemed state.
After leaving the Army in 1970, I was offered two lucrative positions in the private sector. Both jobs required leaving Texas and relocating to the Golden State. The choice came down to a move to San Mateo or Los Angeles counties.
That Northern California opportunity would have required a transfer to Albuquerque after six months of training, so we opted for the Southern California opportunity and purchased our first home in the San Fernando Valley.
This state has changed immensely over the past five decades. Unfortunately, California has become so liberal that the conservative minority has lost its voice in the Capitol and most county and city governments.
In the past few years, we’ve all witnessed an increasing number of businesses leaving for greener pastures to states that are more business-friendly. There seems to be no equity in it all. The “pie in the sky” politics we’ve been experiencing is no more than a false promise that cannot be fulfilled.
Let’s go back in history to the 10th century B.C. in Israel. The Israelites believed they needed a king to rule over them like all their neighboring nations. The prophet and priest Samuel tried to reason with the people, but they wanted a king rather than listen to God’s anointed prophet.
This followed the 400-year period of judges overseeing the nation during some very unsettling times. Like any prophet and priest worth his salt, Samuel prayed to the Lord with the people’s request. God responded, letting Samuel know that the people were not personally rejecting him, but God Himself.
Listen to God’s answer to Samuel’s prayer regarding his concern for the people’s desire for a king. In 1 Samuel 8:7-9 we read, “And the Lord said to him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day, I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Well, folks, I’m certainly no prophet, but I can tell you this: We could be in for some dismal days ahead during the remainder of Newsom’s term.
Like those in Israel 3,000 years ago, we have chosen elected officials who have gradually established a government that controls the people much like a monarchy. We have very little say in government affairs — especially when emergency powers are enforced during an extended pandemic.
Then again, the real problem is not the people in power, but humankind in general.
Apparently, a good number of Californians seem to prefer more government to less government. Personally, I prefer minimal government involvement in which we must place greater dependence on our Heavenly Father, the True King!
We need the Holy Spirit to lead us according to the Constitution that He helped construct nearly 2½ centuries ago. Listen to the words of President Abraham Lincoln: “Democracy is a rule of the people, for the people and by the people.”
In other words, democracy is meant to function as a government elected by the people and governed for the good of all people — not for the benefit of any elite or special class.
Our state government has gone rogue. We need to pray that God will change the hearts of the people, bring forth compassionate leaders at all levels of government, who will follow His wisdom and have the presence of mind to establish fiscal responsibility and conservative policies to help make California a better place to live out the rest of our lives.
Lord, we need your help!
Passages to Ponder
— Jim Langley has been writing for more than 30 years while working as a life and health insurance agent in Santa Barbara. In recent years, his passion has turned to writing about his personal relationship with God, and his goal is to encourage others to draw near to Him as well. As a longtime member of CBMC of Santa Barbara (Christian Business Men’s Connection), he started writing Fourth Quarter Strategies columns in 2014, and he now reaches an international audience through the CBMC International devotional Monday Manna. He can be contacted at jim@fourthquarterstrategies.com for more information. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.