We can win the next election and still lose the country

Suppose we win the next election. Secure the border. Bring down prices. Put criminals behind bars.

What kind of America will our grandchildren inherit if we accomplish all that, but leave them a country where a promise means little, marriage is disposable, and right and wrong depend on who benefits?

Those political goals matter. Families need safety, freedom, and enough money to pay their bills. But we should ask whether the America we hope to preserve requires something government cannot supply: people whose consciences answer to God.

A police officer cannot stand beside every child. A judge cannot supervise every business transaction. No legislature can make a husband faithful or persuade a mother that her children are worth more than her own convenience.

Much of what holds a nation together happens when nobody is watching.

That is where Isaiah 52 begins to challenge us.

The chapter opens with God calling Jerusalem to awaken, rise from the dust, and prepare for restoration. Zion is pictured as a captive woman with bonds around her neck. Humiliation has become her daily condition, but God calls her to a different future.

This promise belongs to Israel. America is not ancient Israel, and Isaiah is not guaranteeing our national recovery. Yet the passage raises a question American Christians cannot comfortably ignore: Have we accepted as normal what should move us to repentance?

Think about what we teach children through our example. We tell them to be honest, then excuse a lie because the liar supports our politics. We tell them to respect others, then reward the person who delivers the cruelest insult. We tell them God matters, then arrange our lives so that He receives whatever time is left.

Children notice the difference between our principles and our permissions.

If we want them to inherit a better country, they must first see a more faithful Christianity.

God’s message to captive Zion also makes clear where deliverance comes from: “For this is what the LORD says: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money’” (Isaiah 52:3, NASB).

Their restoration would depend on God’s action, not their purchasing power.

That should unsettle a nation accustomed to looking for a financial solution to every problem. A growing economy is a blessing. But a larger paycheck cannot repair every broken home, quiet every guilty conscience, or give a neglected child the love he needs.

We can afford more and still become less trustworthy.

In Isaiah 52:7, a messenger announces peace, salvation, and the reign of God. For Jerusalem, this is news worth celebrating: the oppressor does not have the final authority.

For us, God’s sovereignty should change how we approach politics. As November 3 approaches, we should consider the character we are willing to entrust with public responsibility. Vote thoughtfully. Demand honest government. Defend religious liberty. But remember that our leaders remain accountable to God, and so do we.

When we excuse wrongdoing because acknowledging it might hurt our side, we teach our children that power outranks truth. Eventually, they may apply that lesson to us.

A Christian conscience cannot belong to a political party. It must remain responsive to God even when obedience costs us an argument, an advantage, or an election.

Isaiah then calls those leaving captivity to depart in purity, with particular attention to those carrying the Lord’s vessels (Isaiah 52:11).

Restoration involves leaving something behind.

That is the part of renewal we often resist. We want God to change the people causing our problems. Are we willing to let Him expose what we contribute to those problems?

For one person, repentance means ending a dishonest business practice. For another, it means putting down the phone and listening to a child. It may mean honoring a marriage, admitting a lie, returning money, or asking forgiveness without attaching an excuse.

These acts rarely make headlines. Their absence can wound a family for generations.

Churches have a responsibility here, too. Our neighbors need more than another place to hear their grievances repeated. They need the Gospel, the Word of God faithfully taught, and worship in spirit and in truth. They need patient discipleship and people willing to practice the mercy and integrity they preach.

Isaiah 52 ends by introducing the servant whose story continues into chapter 53: “Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted” (Isaiah 52:13, NASB).

Christians recognize Jesus Christ in this suffering and exalted servant. The chapter directs our attention toward God’s saving work, accomplished through suffering that astonishes the world.

There is hope here for people who have failed, including us. Through Christ, forgiveness and a changed life are possible. Repentance need not end in despair; it can begin a new direction.

We cannot guarantee what America will become. We can decide what example our children will receive from us.

When they remember how we lived, will they remember people who demanded a better nation — or people who helped make faithfulness believable?