Through the ups and downs of American politics, it is sometimes very difficult to maintain hope for a God-centered America, where our country's Judeo-Christian heritage is respected, not insulted.  Freedom without virtue is not freedom at all--it ultimately results in a self-centered chaos, where momentary pleasures give way to the reality of a nation that spends too much,parties too much, and produces too little.  We demand blessings from God without listening to Him in prayer.  So how to process this when all seems lost?  My friend and author Eric Metaxas speaks and writes on matters of faith and policy and thought his post-election reflections were worth sharing:

Whether you voted for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, whether you're
recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from
your pillow, today is a good day to heed these words of the Apostle
Paul:

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Now that the election results are in, our President needs our prayers,
because he and his administration face huge, serious challenges to the
health of our nation and to peace in the world -- challenges that we
cannot overcome without divine aid.

Think about it.  At home, our economy is still sluggish.  We face the
so-called "fiscal cliff" and sequestration.  Economists and
politicians on both sides of the aisle are telling us this would be an
economic disaster for the nation.  And speaking of disasters, there is
the national debt.

Overseas, America's foreign policy seems, to put it mildly, confused,
even as Iran seeks nuclear weapons, as Islamists have either grabbed
or are on the cusp of grabbing power in countries throughout the
Middle East, and as we struggle to figure out what in the world to do
about the war in Afghanistan.

How has America come to this point?  Why is our economy on the brink
of disaster?  And why is our culture so utterly depraved?

Chuck Colson asked these questions the day after the last presidential
election four years ago.  And his answer was spot on.  Chuck cited
what Russian author Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said about the catastrophic
consequences of the Russian revolution.  "I recall," Solzhenitsyn
said, "hearing a number of older people offer the following
explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have
forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."

Solzhenitsyn was right.  And Colson was right.  The best explanation
for why we Americans find ourselves in the state we are in is that to
some extent we have forgotten God.

We have also forgotten that American democracy -- indeed Western
Civilization itself -- is the product of the Judeo-Christian
understanding of God and humanity.  As Chuck said, "Without that
revelation that man is created in the image of God, our founders never
would have recognized the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness."

Make no mistake, regardless of last night's election results, the
attacks on Christianity are not going away.  They will only intensify.
So we have to continue, as Chuck said, "to make a winsome witness" to
the truths of the Christian worldview, because those who would banish
Christianity from American public life are risking the very survival
of American society.

So, if your presidential candidate or your congressional candidates
won yesterday, keep the celebration short.  If they lost, don't head
for the hills.  We have got work to do.  This is a time for Christians
to stay involved.  So by all means pray for our President and his
administration.  Pray for our nation.  But most of all be salt and
light in a culture, in a country, that is in danger of forgetting God.

--Eric Metaxas