How Should I Vote?

This morning, I spent some time looking at the Mississippi State Primary ballot. I found myself praying that You will guide my voting decision. My thoughts are going to Your words: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:25 NKJV).

Help me to be a Christian before I am a citizen.  May my faith in You, make me the best citizen that I can be for Your glory.  Even in the political process, protect and preserve me from being controlled by anger.  Check me when I tend to be reactive rather than proactive.  May I spend as much time, or more, praying than criticizing.

William Barclay wrote: “If a man lives in a state and enjoys all its privileges, he cannot divorce himself from it. The more honest a man is, the better citizen he will be. There should be no better and no more conscientious citizens of any state than its Christians; and one of the tragedies of modern life is that Christians do not sufficiently take their part in the government of the state. If they abandon their responsibilities and leave materialistic politicians to govern, Christians cannot justifiably complain about what is done or not done.  Nonetheless, it remains true that in the life of the Christian God has the last word and not the state. The voice of conscience is louder than the voice of any man-made laws. The Christian is at once the servant and the conscience of the state” (In The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 259).

Our nation is in desperate times.  We need revival.  Perhaps we have already had our Josiah–I don’t know.  Perhaps the day of mercy has passed, and only judgment remains, I cannot see the future to know. But if You see fit to extend us grace yet again, grant us that grace as a nation.  If we slide into further debt and decline, grant believers courage to suffer for righteousness sake.  Help us not to turn on one another and devour each other with the incivility modeled by many of our candidates and our leaders.

Help me to stand courageously against tyranny, for truth and righteousness, boldly and decisively. God, save our land from its rebellion against You. Bring revival to my land, my people, my country. May I always remember: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 3:20).  So, I vote courageously and conscientiously, realizing that my voter registration card does not tell the entire story of my true citizenship.

In the Name of my Living Savior and Lord,

Amen.

Matthew 5:11-12 NKJV
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.