The Most High Rules in the Kingdom of Men

exerpt;

Sharon's willingness to proceed with the forced removal of his people from their homes in Gaza pushed hundreds of thousands of Jews to prayer.
Untold numbers of Christians, too, went to prayer for divine intervention.
God-fearing men, women and children proclaimed their belief that the "disengagement" would never take place; that the Almighty would step in and perform a miracle.
The miracle never came, and just over four months ago the world watched and applauded, while many believers watched and wept, as Jewish communities were erased from the map of Gaza, and thousands of Israelis became refugees in their own land at the hands of their own government.

There is no doubt that the prayers and tears reached to heaven, and were heard there.
God, Whose ways are not our ways, did not step in to prevent the expulsion. He has, however, stepped in now.
As Prime Minister, Sharon was frequently heard to express his belief that "no one" could tell him how to run the country; "no one" could teach him what he needed to know to provide security for his people; "no one" would tell him what to do.
This very afternoon, just hours before he was felled by his second stroke, Sharon declared his intention to ? after the elections he was so sure he would win ? continue to "disengage," letting go great swathes of Judea and Samaria, Israel's biblical heartland, and pulling his nation behind a "security wall" while enabling the State of Palestine to be established on the other side.
If the medical and political experts flooding the airwaves tonight are only partially correct in their estimations, this is a policy Sharon will never be able to carry out.
He has been unseated; the reins of power have been taken from his hands.
As a colleague told me in reaction this evening: "It is hard to ignore the fact that after so many years of being so strong, Sharon suddenly goes down just months after dividing the land and promising to do so again."
Who will replace him?
This is the question now uppermost in people's minds. Could it be Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu? What about Ehud Olmert; Tzipi Livni; Amir Peretz?
As the prophet Daniel wrote thousands of years ago, there is One Who will decide: He removes kings and raises up kings;
(Daniel 2:20-21)
"The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." (Daniel 4:32)
Our faith is in Him, not in man.
May God have mercy and show compassion to Mr. Sharon, restoring him to health and strength. And may He raise up the man He purposes to lead Israel into the critical and "uncharted" future.