A Biblical Approach to Voting
Written by Jeff Howell | Associate Pastor of Administration
Dear Faith Family ~
We find ourselves once again in that season when election material begins to fill our mailboxes and people who we never knew had our cellphone numbers send us urgent pleas to vote in very specific ways! The Election Cycle is upon us, and on or before November 5, 2024, registered voters in CA will have the opportunity to make their voices heard. As one of your pastors and an elder at Faith, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about the opportunity that is before us.
1) If you are of legal age and eligible to vote, be sure you are registered and do participate in the process!
Your voice does matter. Far beyond what happens now, one day we will all give an account to the Lord for how we made use of the days He has given us. Did we hide our light under a bushel, or did we let it shine (cf. Matt 5:15)? Voting is a GREAT way to promote the biblical values that best represent the God you love and the faith in His Word that you possess. Here is the place to go to get registered if you need to do so: https://registertovote.ca.gov/
2) Do your own research and vote according to your biblical conscience.
We are all different, at different places in life, with different issues that concern us most. Amidst that diversity, though, we share a common faith in a holy God Who has given us His inspired & inerrant Word. I urge you to prioritize scriptural principles when assessing which candidates to nominate and which measures to support or oppose. I encourage you to consult Christian voting guides and trusted believing friends to compare your perspective and perhaps even learn new things about candidates or measures with which you are unfamiliar. (That happens to me regularly!) Let each of us invest the time necessary to understand the measures, apply God’s priorities to filter through the options, and then vote accordingly. Consider this effort a ministry you are doing to bless your family, your community, and your nation…for that is precisely what it is.
3) Pray for the candidates.
There is no perfect candidate. Let us not heap unreasonable expectations upon fallible human beings. On p. 118 of his book, The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, James C. Hume quotes the famous former president as saying, “When I left Springfield I asked people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life in 1862, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.” As a former legislative staffer for several years, I can tell you that elected officials (and their staff) are real people with real burdens. We should pray for them regardless of party affiliation (1 Tim 2:1—4). We should pray for them to trust in Jesus for salvation and to seek His wisdom as they make policies that impact our land.
4) Leave the results in God’s hands.
If you’ve ever studied the biblical books of Ezra or Nehemiah, you know how the hearts of kings truly are like streams of water in the hand of the Lord (Prov 21:1). God is going to accomplish His will, regardless of who sits the proverbial throne. King Cyrus worshipped Marduk. King Darius worshipped Ahura-Mazda. King Artaxerxes practiced polytheism, including Zoroastrianism. Yet all three of these kings who had divided hearts and who knew dark politics smiled on the people of Israel in accordance with God’s sovereign will. We do not live within a theocracy where the role of political leader and spiritual leader must overlap. We are not electing our officials based primarily on their doctrine. We are electing them based on their stance on issues that Scripture tells us matter to God. Who is positioned philosophically to most align with the heart of God, even if that candidate does not possess a personal saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Having researched and voted like it is all up to us, we need to leave the results in the non-sleeping, non-slumbering hands of God (Ps 121:4) and trust that He will work undeterred for His glory and our good (cf. Rom 13:1—2; 8:28).
5) Trust God.
We are bound by good laws and some bad ones. The temptation easily arises to complain about policies and the people who make them. While we should certainly push for righteous change through the processes available to us, let us not succumb to the kind of disgruntlement that begins to create doubt about in what or in Who we are ultimately trusting. Further, let us not give others, or their ideas, power over our joy in Christ. Rather, let us, “be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” In short, trust God, not man.
In closing, know that I, and the other pastors and elders at Faith, join you in humbly praying for wisdom to vote well, for the Good News to reverberate in the hearts and halls of government, and for God to do mighty things through the outcome of the November election. We are here as a resource for you; let us know how we can best encourage you as you participate in this upcoming election season.
Looking with you to the administration of our perfect, coming King (Eph 1:10),
