The polls are closed. Votes have been cast. And a new president has been elected. And we’re still here. The sky has not fallen. Yet the echo on almost every media front is “What now? Can we move forward as a people, as a country?” Whether you voted red or blue, the country, our country, is still as fractured as ever. And deep in our hearts we know that a new commander-in-chief will not bring about the change that all humans long for. Justice, hope, redemption, and love are not realities that can ever be legislated. But we are not helpless! We are the people of God. Rescued by grace and on mission in power. So how does the church move forward in the coming days? A few thoughts and then three action steps.

The church is still the best thing going. After an exhausting political cycle every person in the country is looking for some kind of tangible hope. And the church, regular and broken people who have found hope in the resurrected Jesus, is still here. The world may be dark and damaged, but what better opportunity to shine bright the message that God is in pursuit of people? As Paul reminded the Ephesians, “The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.  The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.” (Ephesians 1:23, The Message)

All people matter. That’s right. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Republicans, Democrats all matter to God. In a dangerous political season when what has unified large groups is the people they are against, remember that all people matter. Every person is made in the image of God and valued by the Creator. Whether we agree on the most basic of realities or not, we can choose to see them as people who are loved by God.

Grace wins. As John Piper recently wrote, “Every president is a footnote in the history of God.” That is, our trust and future is not in the hands of a man or woman, it is in the perfect plan of Jesus Christ. No president has the ultimate power to determine our destiny. God alone orders the steps of the righteous. So grace wins. His power over death and sin and the enemy is the trophy we hold high as we step into the world.

If your heart is to be a person filled with the grace of God, on mission for the good of people and shining bright the hope of the resurrected Jesus, I would encourage you to do a few things:

1. Go silent on social media. Or at the very least, change your content and narrative. Quit being a jerk and start speaking life. Paul tells the Philippian church, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14) Translation: Nobody needs another nay-sayer or Chicken Little in their life. Divisive content and conversation is antithetical to the gospel. I get it. Life isn’t perfect. But since when was that the promise? Take a breath, turn off your phone and go hug your kids.

2. Look for opportunities to serve someone. If you want to see change, do something. If you’d like to see the homeless cared for, do something. If you are outraged that refugees are being ignored, do something. If you feel like the elderly are being forgotten, do something. There is no better antidote to our nationalistic narcissism than a huge dose of service. Look around for the marginalized, the hurting and the broken and then do something that would get your attention and affection off of you.

3. Pray. Less talk, more prayer. Less complaining, more trusting. Less second-guessing and more faith. Less finger-pointing and more hands lifted high. Our prayers move the heart of God and change us. Pray. Pray for your neighbor, boss, president, incoming president and the collection of people that make up this nation. Nothing can thwart the plan of God to gather his people and put on display the extravagance of his grace.  That reality gives us a position to pray with power!