POLITICS AND PRAYER
I realize that God has given me but a small voice in the world and for that matter, the church. But with the voice He has given me I am compelled to speak. I have heard many folks talking about the upcoming election with frustration and confusion. They don't like either presidential candidate and making a godly decision in voting seems impossible to them. With these frustrated people in mind, I want to offer a few words that I pray may relieve a little tension.
I am a Christian, a 'little Christ.' Although we may seem to represent a minority in our country, we are a powerful force in the kingdom of God. So powerful in fact, that our prayers have significant impact on current events and situations as well as eternal impact in the presence of God. Revelation 5:8 says it this way, "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were
holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people."
My prayers make a difference. They are a fragrant incense before the God of the universe. My prayers have more influence than anything else I can do or say. In the book of Acts, a man named Cornelius, a high ranking Roman official, prayed regularly to God. He didn't fully understand the impact of those prayers until he received an angelic visitor who explained to him that his prayers had come up as an offering before God. That encounter resulted in the entire gentile world being invited into the church for the first time. Pretty big results for a few prayers from a faithful man, don't you think? Our prayers make a difference. Let's pray and see what God will do.
We see Christian leaders calling out both candidates for their faults and failures. Granted there are plenty of those to go around. But God has an eternal purpose in what he is doing. He makes it clear that he appoints kings and leaders for us. If you take a look at God's Word, you will find that he often appointed kings that were violent, hostile toward his people, and generally bad guys. He did this because he had a greater purpose than the people could fathom. The same is true right now. God can use people, no matter how evil they may look to us, to accomplish his will on earth. That is a fact supported by history. Although we don't understand, in the end it is His will, His purpose, and His plan.
It seems to me that we have a great privilege. We can pray and we can vote. If our prayers rise up as incense before God and if those prayers can change things, then a vote supported by the prayers of a righteous person can also change things. It is not about who you may support. It is about the God who will ultimately call the shot that leads our nation into the destiny he has already created for it. The upcoming election is not about a candidate, it's about God and his will for our nation and the world. Pray, cast your vote, and watch as God wills his kingdom into our nation.
God can use Donald Trump and he can use Hillary Clinton. I've decided which one I will support with my vote. I'm making that decision by spending time putting it before God. I trust Him to make the difference. These are unprecedented times and it is an unprecedented election. Rather than focusing on the negatives of the candidates, let's focus on the eternal God and watch him do it. So pray, vote, and believe God. This is true faith and God will respond.
