Who's "The One"?

Around the nation and the world people are watching one of the most amazing things that makes a democracy possible, the voting for a leader of a country. Emotions are high, the stakes are high, the future, to a degree, hangs in the balance.

In spite of Black Panthers and bad voting machines, the change of power of a nation has not always been this smooth. In the time of Isaiah the prophet, the ruling king Uzziah sat enthroned for 52 years from his 16th birthday. It is likely that most people alive at the time knew only this man as a leader. The "man who would be king" was the man who had always been king. Fear of turmoil would have come with his death in 740 BC. But that was the year God showed Himself:

In the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime event that marked that kind of upheaval, Isaiah saw the real King on the real throne, the Ruler of the Universe, The One, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, with the government on His shoulders. He bears the weight of the affairs of men. He sets up rulers and takes them down again. As difficult as it is for us to imagine, even for an artist to imagine, the man Isaiah could only fall on his face and cry out "Woe is me."

Now I would surely like to be in the same room as the president of the United States someday, but I would hardly fall on my face in awe and say "Woe is me." Such is the human response to the One who is really in charge, to Whom every nation will someday bow. Our democracy, as blessed as we are to have it, is nothing in comparison with a monarchy led by a perfect King who rules only and always in perfect righteousness. Never a mistake. Never a misstep. Never loses a memo. Never makes a bad decision. Never neglects a promise. Never. Ever.

There will never be a day, no matter how long I live that I could ever expect to portray on a canvas the vision that Isaiah might have seen on that day when his nation changed hands. The only thing I can do is respond as he did and say, "Here I am, send me." That and vote on election day until the monarchy comes, and the Prince of Peace returns.