“He Shall Have Dominion…”

November 10, 2015

Our nation’s foundation is essentially Christian. Not that every member of parliament who participated in the early development of Canadian government was a believer, but there were enough believers, and sufficient respect for the Word of God, that the very name of the nation, “The Dominion of Canada” was taken from Psalm 72:8. “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.” The parliament buildings themselves are also decorated with stone inscriptions of the Word of God in many prominent locations. Not that Canada was ever a theocracy (A nation for whom God is King and His will is carried out by priests or religious rulers), no, from its beginning Canada was a democracy. However, those who helped establish this nation and its governmental foundations were more often than not Christian believers, who had answered the call of God to serve the Kingdom in the mountain of government.

I don’t imagine it would come as a shock to anyone that I was disappointed in last week’s election results. Although I am a fiscal and moral conservative and have voted conservative pretty much my whole life, my disappointment had little to do with the “Red Tsunami” that swept the country pretty much from coast to coast. Rather my disappointment, like most of you here at the Stream, was that Jodie and Shauna, two believers who have a heart to make a difference on Parliament Hill, would not get the chance to do so at this time and in this season. Governments come and governments go, and whether that government is blue, red or orange, the most important thing is that believers, like Jodie and Shauna, are found in its midst.

Jodie was criticized in the paper for declaring that in the midst of his loss, there was victory. The author considered Jodie delusional for interpreting the outcome through the lens of victory, rather than defeat. Jodie simply understands the nature of God, and therefore has the capacity to see through the eyes of faith, a future that is not yet visible in the natural. I am thankful that our founding fathers viewed the future of Canada in much the same way, enabling them to envision a great nation, vast in expanse, yet united in purpose, a country whose leaves would be for the healing for the nations. I am thankful that Jodie and Shauna see our nation the same way today, and because of that, their future and the future of Canada remain startlingly bright and hopeful.