In this conversation, I’d like to look at a quality that is often passed over in the qualities of a leader. I’ll call it foresight. It is the God-given ability to look beyond any given situation and see what might be if we faithfully pursue Him. It can dig an organization out of a deep hole, buoy a family stuck in a mire of sticky circumstances and lead a whole nation out of the devastation of a natural disaster. It does not come naturally and the leader that tries to fake it will be rudely awakened when his leadership suddenly becomes backward of what is required. It only comes as the leader seeks the Lord.
We see this quality over and over in Israel’s history. Time and again nations would come against Isarel for war. The kings who had the sense to seek the Lord, would, and find the foresight to lead their people. Sometimes God led them to stay put and pray. Other times they marched out to battle only to discover God routed the enemy before they even arrived. Other times they fought and won. The constant in the story is God’s desire and ability to rescue His people every single time they ask Him for insight and direction.
We see the same in our own story. Every time we have a leader—and I don’t just mean Presidents, but every leader from the White House down to the Courthouse—who seeks the Lord, the citizens are always grateful. The burden might not be lighter, the natural disasters may not be lessened, people still experience pain and death, but in the end, our history tells the story, leaders with foresight are always better, stronger and welcomed.
Two equally important fronts are at play here. One is found in your own living room. If you do not posses the gift of foresight, your family will at best be led by a haphazard leader, hoping each time his/her decision is the right one. Luck does not produce good odds. Sometimes you win. Most times you lose. If you are a leader in your home or family, ask God for the insight to lead. Pray regularly for your family and their future. Ask Him to give you the ability to teach your kids and serve them in a way that looks like Jesus.
The second front we see moving here is at the governmental level. Come November, we will be electing thousands of leaders across our country. The presence or lack of foresight in their list of characteristics will drastically affect your town, county, state and our country. Listen to their speeches. Are they just reacting to the other candidate(s) and events around them or are they stepping into issues because they see them as important? Are they vying for votes or leading out of their own deep-seated character? What comes out when they are pressed: anger and frustration or patience? Are they leading or responding to the leadership others?
When I found out my apartment was underwater and my life was about to change after Katrina, two men immediately surrounded me. Neither said anything for the longest time. They knew the wisdom of sitting with those who grieve. One literally gave me the shirt off his back and a hammer out of his truck. He knew I’d lost my clothes and thought I’d lost my tools. The other friend was a retired missionary from Africa and the Middle East. He told me they’d lost their house and all their belongings twice in the 30 years they were overseas. Twice. He taught me the importance of living with my hands open, willing to let go of the gifts in my life, rather than clutching them with all my strength to keep the gifts I think I deserve. These men had foresight. Their words and actions helped me plan the next year of my life. I wouldn’t trade anything for the value of their words or leadership. If the candidates we elect can’t or won’t offer this kind of leadership, they aren’t worth electing.