Let’s take a step back from the noise.
This election season has been hard. Political ads are everywhere. Facebook posts and heated conversations have divided families and friends. And I’m just as tired of it as you probably are.
As Christians, it’s tough to see the state of our nation. People are fighting, judging, and hurting each other. Unfortunately, Christians are sometimes the ones dishing out the pain. All of the negativity has led many to a sense of hopelessness.
But I believe in a hope that goes beyond an election.
I believe in a love that goes deeper than our political views.
We’re part of a kingdom that’s not dependent on who gets elected as president. Jesus will still hold all things together. Jesus tells us that His kingdom is not of this world. If it were, “My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews” (John 18:36).
What did Jesus do during His life on earth? He loved the unlovable, He healed the terminal, He corrected the hypocritical, and died to save the unrighteous.
God gave His life for everyone; even those who cursed Him.
And He commanded His followers to do the same.
We are told to love others in the same way that Christ loved us. Jesus tells us to pray for others and to love them whether or not they’re a Christian, whether they’re a Republican or a Democrat, or if we just don’t like them. Likewise, the Bible tells us to pray for our government and leaders to whom God has given authority. Paul urged that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life…”(1 Tim. 2:1-3).
That might mean praying for a leader you don’t like much.
Too often, we as Christ-followers get caught up in disagreements on political issues. Are those issues important? Absolutely! It’s our privilege as Americans to discuss ideas and to vote. But we have to remember our primary goals as Christians: To grow in our relationship with Christ, and to share the love and Gospel of Jesus with the world.
We must be unified through Christ in prayer for the nation and its leaders.
We must pray for ALL people, not just those we agree with.
It’s so tempting to reduce a person or a group of people down to who they vote for, or what they think on a topic. But in doing so, we strip ourselves of the unity that’s given to us through the Holy Spirit. God has brought people from all tribes, tongues, and nations into His body of believers. We will naturally disagree on certain issues because of our backgrounds.
But all too quickly, we make our fight against each other, rather than the “rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12), who are our real enemies. God has given us the power to overcome our sins and the devil, but when we are divided, we are much less effective at sharing God’s love with the world.
If you’re looking for an answer to all of our political problems, I’m quite unfit to give you that answer.
But I can tell you the answer to all of our heart problems.
Jesus.
Our government will not take away our sins. Our president will not provide us with sustaining joy. A political Facebook post will not give us everlasting peace.
We need the love and hope of the Gospel to saturate our world, and we’re called to help share it. In the wake of an incredibly divisive election, let’s join together in prayer for the salvation of our nation and its leaders.
“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:6-7)
