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BUT YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER (1) – Politics

Although we have several Christians interested in, speaking about, and actively involved in politics and governance of their nation, the number is very minuscule when compared to the critical mass of people required to deliver sustainable development, best practices in industries and the society, and grow or nurture great citizens though schools and families.

In the context of this piece, the term “Christian” refer only to those who “…repent truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new life; have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and be in charity with all men.” (Catechism, BCP 1928)


Nathan the Prophet

Nathan as a prophet of God is quite popular in scripture especially for courageously speaking truth to power. His beautiful allegory of a rich man and a poor man's little lamb shocked the king when he declared "Thou art the man". As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to declare the anger of the Lord upon David, reeling out the punishments that’ll follow without fear.

No indication is given as to his origin; his first appearance was when David was contemplating the erection of a house to the Lord (2 Samuel 7). He assured the king of the Lord's support and of the divinely ordained establishment of his kingdom for all time, but dissuaded him from the idea of building the proposed temple, stating that this honour was reserved for his son and successor (2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15).

He is credited by the Chronicler with having written a part of the history of David, together with Samuel the seer and Gad the seer (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 29:25). Nathan was an excellent prophet – no one can argue otherwise.

Nathan and Politics

There is however an interesting event that happened just before David’s death. When it became obvious that David would not survive his illness, his first (living) son, Adonijah, connived with the High Priest Abiathar and the Chief of Army Staff Joab to proclaim himself king. Had this deal succeeded, Nathan would have lost his position as the prophet of the courtyard and the privilege of influencing the king for the good of Israel. Worse still, he would have found himself in the opposition and at the risk of death.

So, as soon as he got the information, he quickly called Solomon’s mum and arranged with her to raise the matter with the king. As soon as she started talking with the king, Nathan entered the room and hijacked the discussion. It ended up with David ordering that Solomon be anointed king. And so, “Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon king” (Handel: Coronation Anthem). As a result, Nathan’s influence continued well after David’s death.

Lessons for us

Like we wrote earlier, two things are essential for any serious impact: Credibility and Platform.  If truly we have received power because of the Holy Spirit in/upon our lives, then we must learn to use it like Nathan and other prophets of old did – for it’s the same Spirit of God. We have limited the power from on high so much in our lives. We only invoke the power when we think a problem is spiritual. It ought not to be so, brethren.

We need to move from “potential” to “actual”. To do this, we must begin to get interested in practical problems of our time, without throwing away the spiritual. These interests should then spur us into getting involved, which begins by building the capabilities needed for success and proactively seeking out the proper platform for manifestation.

Politics is one such area that requires our collective interest; and it’s a very crucial platform for driving change and making real and widespread impact. We know that when the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh. We know also that Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. How come we abandon politics for “dirty politicians” and go about complaining that politics is a “dirty” game? How come?
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