Casting Votes That Please God
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”- Deuteronomy 30:19
As Christians, on Election Day, we can cast votes that please God, not by relying on our own reasoning or viewpoint, but by looking to God’s Word to see what votes align with His ways and principles.
As we seek to discover what votes will please Him, we can ask Him to lead us in voting at the ballot box for the candidates to be appointed that will serve and glorify Him and work and seek to accomplish His will on earth.
Some may think that God doesn’t care one way or the other who we vote for or if we even vote, but He does, calling on us to choose the candidates and laws that align with His teachings. It’s very clear in His Word. We have a responsibility to choose rulers and authorities who do what is good for us and to please God.
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good” (Titus 3:1).
Is Election Day a Sacred Duty?
William J. Federer, historian and co-author of Courageous Christianity, writes that on April 19, 1926, 30th U.S. President, Calvin Coolidge, stated that, “Election day in the olden times was generally considered more or less sacred.”
In America’s early days, notes Federer, from the beginning of the United States of America, Election Day was not to be taken lightly.
“New England pastors understood that since Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him, they could not either. The Kingdom of God was not to be forced top-down by a theocratic king. The only way for it to happen was if the majority of people held godly values and willingly voted for representatives holding those same values. Then laws would be passed reflecting those values, and the values of the Kingdom of God could come voluntarily, from the bottom-up.”
Do Our Votes Count?
1700s Theologian and evangelist, John Wesley, is cited as saying, “Act as if the whole election depended on your single vote.”
Still, with all the issues and conflicts in the American voting system, individuals, including some Christians, may wonder if it even matters if and how they vote. As Christians, when we do vote, we are called to honor, please, and reflect God’s principles at the voting booth.
Some say it’s a sin not to vote; if so, it’s a matter of conscience, as James 4:17 warns, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
The United States’ 40th President, Ronald Reagan, said, “Voting is a precious right that for two centuries Americans have fought and died to protect. Let’s all honor that sacrifice this election day.”
As Deuteronomy 30:16 instructs, “For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”
Our Votes Reveal Our Hearts
As Christians, how we vote establishes who we ultimately serve, as Psalm 119:30 proclaims: “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on Your laws.”
When we vote, it’s not just casting a vote for a certain candidate or particular political party, but rather it’s making a declaration of our faith. Who and what we vote for reveals what our hearts and minds truly believe.
As Joshua 24:15 challenges, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
In voting, we want to remember what 2 Chronicles 7:14 reminds us: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
On Election Day, ask God to lead you in voting in a way that pleases Him, as you prayerfully review and, through a biblical worldview, consider the candidates and the issues at hand.
Further Reading:
A Prayer for God to Lead Us in Voting on Election Day
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Hill Street Studios
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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