We stand today on the other side of what has been called a watershed cultural breakthrough in American history. Time and time again in the last few days we have been reminded that in this election we are witnesses to the unfolding of a great moment on this road of history.

With all that has been going on, I sat for a moment and thought about the things that have happened in my short lifetime, major events that have shaped the world's history and subsequently its future. Though I was too young at the time to remember it well, it was during my lifetime that Communism collapsed and the Berlin Wall was toppled. 9/11, of course, is an event forever etched on my memory (and the memory of most everyone alive today). I also will not forget the launch of the Iraq War, the horrific tragedies in Sudan and Zimbabwe that have left those countries in shambles, and now the election of the first black president of the United States.

It begs the question—why do we remember these things so well? In one sense, there does not seem to be a reason; the epistle of James reminds us that our life is remarkably short, a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes again (James 4:14). We could quite easily adopt a posture of indifference, fixing our eyes on the end of history and the return of Christ and negating the significance of any historical events in doing so. What we see and the context we live in now are all temporal.

But there is something of a tension here, for Scripture also exhorts us to remember our history, and puts a great emphasis on doing so. The story of redemption is one that is to be passed down from generation to generation, and we are to recall the glorious deeds and wonders of the Lord (Ps. 78:1-4). As I mentioned in a brief post about eschatology a few weeks ago, we do not look only to what happens at the end, but we look at where history is going and to what end it is directed.

I think it quickly becomes clear that our emphasis must lie on remembering our history. For while it is true that we eagerly anticipate the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the consummation of His Kingdom, we also live with the knowledge that the Kingdom has already come and that we as His people are intimately involved in the redemptive story that has been and continues to be woven through history. As we acknowledge God’s sovereignty over all of creation and all of history, we must proclaim not only His deeds recorded in Scripture, but also the wonders He has worked in history up to his very day. This means also that we look for His guiding hand in the events of history that we ourselves are witness to.

Further, although the limitations of our humanity do not always allow us to see it, we must realize that everything in history is accomplished so that God’s name is glorified. In the study of history we are brought face to face with a great deal of injustice and oppression, and see firsthand the dreadful consequences of sin and evil. While the existence of a perfect and good God and the presence of sin in this world seem irreconcilable to so many, we must confess His sovereignty and recognize the gulf that exists between us as created beings and God, the Creator. Some things are not given us to know, and by faith we believe that God works all things for our good (Job 38:1-41:34, Is. 55:8-11, Rom. 8:28).

How do we interpret the election of Barack Obama to the office of president? How do we see God’s guiding hand in that process? While we know that the Lord places those in authority whom He wishes to (Rom. 13:1), we also know that those in authority may not necessarily seek His glory first and foremost. Human nature only allows hindsight to be 20/20 (and even that is not always true), and so it may be years before we see why God has directed history to unfold in this way. And yet, while it may be difficult for us at this point to see the plans of God in the coming years for this country, we rest unwaveringly in the knowledge and faith that He is enthroned over all (Ps. 103:19).

Maintaining an historical consciousness can be a difficult venture; in doing so we are often prone to romanticizing that history and losing our grip on the truth or misunderstanding its significance. Even more difficult, perhaps, is trying to grasp the significance of the events that unfold in our time. But there is one point of orientation that will always keep our perspective rightly focused as we travel down this road of history—understanding that history is more rightly called His-story. If our conception of history begins and ends with the knowledge that God alone directs history to His end and for His glory, we have set ourselves on the right trajectory.