President Edmund Muskie? It doesn’t ring a bell, because it never was…though it might have been. Muskie was a 1972 presidential candidate who cried uncontrollably in an interview. When word got out of his emotional breakdown, he was finished as a candidate.

But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place.

Ezra 9:8

The pages of American history are replete with “might have beens,” men who seemed destined for the White House until some scandal or weakness was exposed. Once voters turn against politicians, there is seldom any way back. Men accustomed to having every word parsed and praised find themselves immediately forgotten and toiling away in some obscure job or slipping quietly into retirement.

The Book of Ezra records a time when a once-proud people had been abandoned and seemingly forgotten—not by voters, but by God. But His rejection was not irreversible. There was a “brief moment” in which his favor could be rekindled, if the people would change their ways. Could this be such a moment for America? It will be if the nation and her leaders seek the “secure hold” of God and His Word. Pray today that it will be so!

Recommended Reading: Acts 3:17-26