This Week in History – Run, Nicholas, Run!
Some people should never be given power to sit on a throne. I can name three.
Terrible at ruling, but great at growing facial hair
1. Czar Nicholas II. He was the absolute ruler over Russia for 23 years—and he was lousy at it.
- He got his people involved in a war with the Japanese—which led to considerable losses for the Russians.
- He followed that up by dragging them into the Great War—another war the Russians didn’t want to be in.
- World War I led to more losses for the Russians and a severe lack of food.
How did he handle all this bungling? He tried to maintain a very autocratic rule. He was a prideful, ineffective leader who didn’t listen to the people.
The people had enough of the czar. Revolution began to brew in the midst of the people and they revolted. On March 15, 1917, Czar Nicholas II was forced to give up his throne. Four months later, he and his entire family were executed. Vladimir Lenin took control and the Russians fell into communist domination.
Nicholas should have imitated Forrest Gump and run from leadership. Russia would have fared so much better with someone on the throne who was far more in tune with the people. Maybe then, the February Revolution and the October Revolution would have never happened—and millions of people would not have died under the subsequent communist regime.
I mentioned there are two others who should never be given power to sit on a throne.
2. You and me.
The throne of our lives does not belong to us. The rightful ruler of our lives is Jesus Christ. We think we know what we’re doing, but we always bungle things up. We get in battles we can’t win. We face a discontent that no amount of “insisting on our own way” will satisfy.
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12).
God made us. We belong to Him. We were made to live in a loving, dynamic, abundant relationship with Him—but we can only know and experience that when we give Him the rightful lordship of our lives.
“Submit yourselves, then, to God” (Jas. 4:7)
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Pet. 3:15).
Step off the throne.
