Are you praying for the election or the Kingdom?

Tomorrow the face of the President of the United States will change. People are passionate about their candidate of choice, including myself. Many people are really stumping for one candidate or the other as "God's" candidate. According to many people either a candidate is the one who God would put in office if He were voting tomorrow, or He would banish them to hell if that option were on the ballot. We go through this drill every election cycle. Quite possibly, if God would give us His vote we might be surprised that he wouldn't choose either. IN fact he might remind us of what His son told the disciples when they too couldn't see the forest for the trees: "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" Mark 9:19 RSV

I believe what we should be praying for is "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and not, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done by electing Barak Obama or John McCain." Certainly I think that one candidate is better than the other. I am human and I have my opinions, the best interests of my family and country at heart, as well as my beliefs in basic human rights of freedom and the sanctity of life. But what tax bracket I hope to be in based on who gets elected as president of the United States or how much money the government wastes on bad policy and unearned entitlement programs is not Kingdom business.

Regardless of who gets elected, God is still sovereign. Jesus Christ is still the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. God is still the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. God is still the same yesterday, while Clinton was president, and the same today while Bush is president, and the same tomorrow regardless of who gets elected.

What we should be praying for is that we, as Christians, are used by the Holy Spirit to move mightily and win people for Jesus Christ by our prayers, our presence, or gifts, or service and our witness. We should be praying that somehow there is enough food distributed in the world to feed our starving population. What we should be praying for is the right for every human being to hear the Word of God and them to freely choose their religion. What we should be praying for is for world peace. What we should be praying for how the Holy Spirit will move into people's lives and how the Holy Spirit can move in the White House, regardless of who is there, to effect change for the Kingdom not only in the United States, but around the world.

If we spent just a fraction of the time, money and energy on winning people for Jesus Christ and trying to eleviate the suffering of His children as we do on compaigning for our leaders around the world we wouldn't have near the problems in this world we do today. When we start thinking and praying as if we live in the Kingdom of God, and not just in the United States, I believe nothing else will matter, not even who lives in the White House.

Pray and go vote!
Pastor Matt

Salvation of Voting have two similar characteristics.....your future is determined by your choice and there will be accountability by God in both.