“The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” (Matthew 8:8-10 NIV).
This Thursday evening I watched the televised farewell address of our President, George W. Bush. As he talked about his eight years in office, he expressed a great deal of humility and thankfulness. He was especially gracious in his wishes for the President elect, saying that his inauguration would be a “moment of hope and pride” for America. His closing remarks were for God’s blessing on all of us and on America.
Witnessing the smooth transition from one American president to the next, reminds me of just how blessed we truly are. It all started with another George, our first president, George Washington. He could have easily served for life. After serving two terms (at a time before term limits), he willingly retired from office.
Still another George, England’s King George III, said this about our first president, “If he does that [give up power], he will be the greatest man in the world.”
Today, the world is filled with many leaders who are less than great. Consider Russia’s Putin, who created a new role for himself as Prime Minister in order to retain power through his puppet president. Or Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who continues to push for a constitutional reform that would eliminate term limits allowing him life long control.
“I’m ready to be with you until 2021,” Chavez recently told a crowd of red-clad supporters in a televised address.
But not our American President. Bush continues the legacy of willingly stepping down from power and returning to the life of a simple citizen. We have been blessed with a government founded by men who understood what it meant to lead “under authority.”
Tonight, hearing another George offer his farewell address reminded me of the first. It also reminded me of the miraculous gift of freedom and the rule of law that God blessed our forefathers with the wisdom to create.
May we always recognize that we are men and women serving under a Higher authority.