There are two things they always tell you not to talk about: politics and religion. They are considered to be hot topics that have probably caused more than one barroom brawl. I have never considered Christianity to be a religion but if by religion people mean the things of God, then according to God politics and religion dare not be separated.
Now clearly, come election time, the Bible does not tell you who to vote for. At best you can use what you know of Biblical principles to guide you in your decision but in the end chances are the winning candidate would hardly be God’s choice to rule a nation. So what happens if the wrong candidate wins? To make things simple, whether the right candidate or the wrong one wins, Gods instructions are exactly the same.
I Timothy 2:1, 2
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
These verses say that God would have the Christian believer pray for anyone who is in authority. It does not say that if you claim to be a Liberal, then you pray for the Liberals. Neither does it say if you are a Conservative that you pray only for the Conservatives. God’s desire is that believers be able to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. To that end the direction is to pray for all those who are in positions of authority.
God’s viewpoint is that you are a Christian first. As a believer your responsibility is clear. The Scriptures do not say that if you voted for the Liberals and the leader is a Liberal you should now pray for them. Nor do they say that if the current leader makes decisions that you agree with then you should pray for him. The direction is and always has been quite simple: pray.
To paraphrase what Benjamin Franklin once said: if a man realizes that he cannot live without Gods direction, how could nations ever be ruled without His intervention? What better way to seek Gods direction and secure His blessings on our nation than to pray consistently? His promise is that if we follow His clear guidelines that we will continue to live a quiet and peaceable life. It has little to do with the Conservatives, the Liberals or anyone else for that matter. It has everything to do with the certainty of the promises of God.
Well now you have a decision to make. If you like the current leader you just might decide that prayer makes good sense. On the other hand if you don’t like the current leader – you can either spend your time complaining about it or follow God’s advice which says that prayer still makes good sense. In both cases God’s guarantee is a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. I think that you would probably agree that there isn’t a politician out there that could ever make and keep a promise like that.