Faith … hope … love … prayer—and voting—must take center stage as Election Day approaches
By Terry Carlson
A new Religion News Service poll reveals that 58% of Americans say religion is crucial in deciding their vote. Amid growing political tension, prayer has become a priority for many, with gatherings like the 250,000 women on the National Mall highlighting the call for God’s guidance.
Christian leaders emphasize the importance of aligning prayer with God’s will. Christian leaders are encouraging believers to seek God’s direction for the election, praying that candidates fear the Lord and that His will be done in the nation.
We are reminded that political victories can come at personal and relational costs. In today’s divisive political landscape, we need a renewed commitment to reconciliation and peace, even with those we disagree with.
Fifty-eight percent of Americans say religion is important in determining who they will support for president, according to the poll. Even more of them revealed that faith helps them deal with the stress and uncertainty surrounding the election.
How can we be more Christlike—in word and deed—during the 2024 U.S. election? We know a few things for sure: We’re called to love others (John 15:12). We’re called to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We’re called to live in unity (Ephesians 4:3). And we’re called to vote.
Scripture supports voting
God’s Word admonishes people of faith to not stand on the sidelines when it comes to participating in politics and the upcoming election.
“Christians in general are hesitant to get involved in the political process, mainly because they believe myths about Christianity and its involvement in a nation, or they’re actively being persuaded by people to not be involved at the present time because the process is unkind and rife with corruption,” Dr. Jeff Myers told Fox News Digital.
The Bible has a lot to say about the various ways in which God want His people to conduct our lives in relation to our human authorities before we “graduate” to heaven. The faith He gave us given freely by grace, but we are then called to a life of good works:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” – James 2: 18
Under God, our ultimate authority in America is the Constitution, our rule of law. Under this law of the land, certain rights, responsibilities, and protections are documented. Among them are free and fair elections and our right to choose our leaders. Here are a few biblical passages that support this duty:
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” – 13:1
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, – Titus 3:1
“Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.” – Deuteronomy 1:13
“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.” – Exodus 18:21
As many as 104 million people of faith, including 32 million self-identified Christians who regularly attend church, are unlikely to vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 mainly due to lack of interest, research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows.
Researchers found that voter enthusiasm in 2024 is significantly lower than what it was in 2020.
“The research asked people who indicated they were not likely to vote to explain the reasons for that choice. The most common reason, offered by two-thirds of the non-voters (68%), was a lack of interest in politics and elections,” the researchers wrote.
“It’s not only voting for the next president, but also determining who will hold many other federal, state, and local offices, and what will happen with numerous referenda.
“In a society where a huge majority of people want their lives to make a difference, and millions of Americans lament the lack of options for making their life count, what a sterling opportunity November 5 represents,
Researchers believe that if the findings that 32 million Christians won’t vote hold true up to election day, former President Donald Trump’s reelection is less likely and Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is more likely to come away victorious.
Walk in God’s love and peace
In an election year, choosing love feels extra challenging when your environment often pushes you to pick one side and shun the other. How can we keep choosing to love rather than burying our heads under our pillows until November 5?
God sees our frustration and confusion. And He promises that when we lift our voices and thoughts in prayer for our country, He’ll give us guidance and peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
It seems too simple. And sometimes our voices feel too small. But when we pray, we allow God to start growing our capacity to love each other as Jesus does—even people who are the most different from us.
As we approach the 2024 presidential election, we’re humbled that God saw our anger, confusion, and prejudice and still loved us enough to send His Son to be our Savior. That perspective calms our frustration and calls us to prayer.
Our bold decision to kneel at God’s throne when we’re being pulled to one side or the other allows God to change our hearts—and the hearts of people we pray for. This election year, let’s unite in prayer for our country and its leaders, asking God to help us all see each other with His love.
Pray for your political enemies
Conflict is inherent to politics on this side of paradise, and the U.S. Constitution is meant to channel and guide conflict fruitfully. As James Madison writes in the Federalist Papers (No. 10), “Among the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” The careful shaping and directing of conflict is necessary, Madison argues, because a society cannot attempt to completely suppress division without great damage to itself and without a loss of liberty.
But we find ourselves in a time in which factions seem to have eluded the control of our constitutional order. Indeed, political parties, which were not part of Madison’s vision for a constitution, shape our government almost as much as our formal Constitution does with the separation of powers and federalism. The prevalence of political parties might not be a problem in itself, and in any event, they seem a near-inevitable feature of liberal democracy. But in a world where even partisanship has its partisans, political parties can become yet another vehicle for our temptation to reduce others to our enemies.
God purposely created us with differences and designed us to work together.
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ” – 1 Corinthians 12:12
We are one nation, but made up of many different parts—so it’s easy to become divided. We hear “us vs. them” rhetoric on TV and in the news. And sometimes we’re guilty of buying into it. But we pray against the idea that we cannot work together. We lift up a prayer for government and we pray that, with God’s grace, we would work as a nation toward unity.
Imagine how different our lives would be if we loved each other like Jesus loves us. It’s not always easy to love our own family and friends, let alone people who seem to insult us or our beliefs. During the election, we’ll see people default to anger, and we may do the same ourselves. But Jesus’ call to love makes no exceptions for election season.
Sources: Religion News Service; MSN; Fox News Digital; arizonachristian.edu; The Christian Post; founders.archives.gov
