Seventh’s Time a Charm

Written By Thann Bennett

Andy Burnham is the newly installed prime minister of the UK. He is the seventh to hold the position in the last 10 years after his predecessor, Keir Starmer, formally resigned the post just two years after claiming it. Prime Minister Burnham also assumes leadership of the Labor Party and will attempt to do what his predecessors have been unable to: maintain a governing consensus.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Governments of men come and go, but the Kingdom of God reigns forever (Rev. 11:15; Ps. 145:13, Lk. 1:33). It is a truth we know well but one driven home by this story. While seven leaders in 10 years is an extreme example, the truth is that even the longest-tenured national leaders are but the blink of an eye against the long story of eternity. James 4:14 reminds us, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

It is tempting to view this truth as limiting, but it is so very liberating. The God of the universe—the one who made and commands it all—has invited you into His forever story. Your time on the Earth is short for now, but He is making all things new (Rev. 21:5) and there is nothing you can do to be separated from His love (Rom. 8:38-39).

Whether you feel lowly or you are temporarily assigned to the highest position in the land, your mission on Earth is to glorify the God of heaven (Is. 43:21). The pressure is off, and you don’t have to hold a governing consensus together. Jesus finished the work on the cross, and you now get to walk in His freedom.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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