I was at a family gathering this past week, and the subject of the election came up. Not a very good thing when a group is divided between hard-core democrats and republicans. Despite the obvious leanings of certain family members, there was one consistent theme: What a horrible choice! With nearly 320 million people in the United States, we are stuck with the clownish behavior of Trump or the decades-long Clinton baggage.

I won’t lie to you. I found myself getting upset during the conversation. Either candidate carries incredible risk. In the long run, it may come down to a choice between nationalism and globalism. Given my Christian repugnance for global government, I tend to lean toward nationalism. But in the midst of all of it, I have an uncomfortable feeling that the country is in for a hell of a ride regardless of the election’s outcome.

This has prompted me to wonder if God has a favorite. I tend to believe He will always favor the one who favors life and liberty, and I have strong ideas as to which candidate that is … but another thought has been plaguing me and keeping me awake at night. In ancient Israel, the kings were often a reflection of the faith of the people. When the Israelites worshipped other gods, they found themselves ruled by some unsavory characters. This concept haunts me. As a nation have we gone so far from God that He has given us such a poor selection for president?

I hope not, because it would mean that we have gone a step too far from Him and that most likely we will soon enter a period of great turmoil. Turmoil and political upheaval often bring with them a clarifying of values. Tough times lead a society to make the hard decisions that are spurned in good times. We’ve grown fat and happy. We have ignored political graft, threats to our national security, and a reduction in personal liberty. As a result, we are left to choose between two candidates that most of us wouldn’t invite to our homes for dinner.

Maybe it is time for us to take a step back and think about those things that are most important to us as a society. I sure hope that belief in God and the power of righteousness are high among our list of priorities. Then, and only then, will the choices get better. But for now, I predict that the next few years will be filled with turmoil as our nation sorts out what we believe, where we want to be, and how we plan to get there.

One thing is for sure, this country has more to offer than narcissism or a dynasty of deceit. We have to get before God to find out what is really important to us, and by His grace, maybe the next president will do a good job and maybe, just maybe, there will be a more robust round of choices for the next election.