“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” 1 Peter 2:13 -17
I’m reminding myself on election eve that we are to serve God, not men, yet we are to respect the positions of authority. It’s hard. Look around. We argue over politics all of the time. Division in this country comes in part from making our politics our identity. That’s not what God tells us. We aren’t liberal or conservative, we are His children.
The following verse in Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise by The Avett Brothers is one of my favorites because it reminds me of this truth.
“When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it”
You are loved by the Creator and He will never reject you.
Lord, we pray for those running for elected office tomorrow, that their intentions are God-serving and not self-serving, that they seek the best for their constituents, and that they are grounded by the love and knowledge of Christ. We pray for the Shelby County Poll workers and are thankful for the volunteers putting in the hours to ensure free and fair elections. We pray for the Shelby County Election Commission members, Brent Taylor, Bennie Smith, Kendra Lee, Steve Stamson, and Frank Uhlhorn, and administrator Linda Philips, that they are encouraged as they shepherd the process to completion.
Lord, we lift up the voters to You, that they seek discernment from You in who to elect. Lord, remind us that regardless of who wins, You are in control. You are bigger than political parties. You are bigger than our differences. We pray, Lord, that men and women of integrity are elected and work together for their neighbor, our neighbors. In Christ’s Name, Amen.