About this time last year I sat down with a coffee and a spreadsheet to map out the 2026 preaching roster. Working my way through Romans, I put Romans 13:1-7 down for Sunday 8 November.
I’d love to claim this was a stroke of pastoral planning genius. It wasn’t. But it just so happens that this Sunday is the day after the election.
Either God has a sense of humour, or he’s sovereign over preaching rosters. Spoiler: it’s both.
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)
Whatever happens on Saturday, the result won’t surprise God. Whoever gives the victory speech, it’s God who holds ultimate authority.
Paul has spent eleven chapters unpacking the mercy of God. Now he shows us what it means to live wholeheartedly for him (12:1). And that includes how we relate to those who govern us. Submitting to the governing authorities is part of the living sacrifice we offer to God.
But here’s what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean the winning party is God’s preferred party. Or that its policies have his stamp of approval.
After all, Paul wrote these words barely a generation after the Roman authorities crucified Jesus. God establishing an authority and God endorsing everything it does are two very different things.
So what do we do when we wake up on Sunday after the election?
Pray. For whoever forms the next government, even if coalition talks mean we wait a few weeks to find out who that is.
Trust. The Lord is on his throne, whoever ends up in the Beehive.
Submit. Willingly, as an act of worship. But what does that look like when we disagree with those who govern us? More on that on Sunday.
Here’s a challenge: before you check the results on Saturday night, stop and pray for whoever will lead our country.
Then join us on Sunday, and why not bring a friend who’s wondering how faith and government might fit together?
Grace & peace,
Andrew