How will you pray after the election?
In the last several months here in the United States, the midterm election cycle has been front and center in the news and social media, not to mention in conversations and debates among family and friends. And things have gotten pretty intense all leading up to election day. (Now, I know many of you listening don’t live in the United States, so tuck these ideas away for when there’s an election in your country.) The question is: What happens after the election?
A lot of Christians in one political party have prayed for their candidates to win. They believe if the other political party wins, it will result in terrible consequences for the whole country. But Christians in the other political party have been praying for their candidates to win because they are convinced if the opposing party wins, it will be the end of the world as we know it.
Christians in both political parties praying for what they want, this is nothing new. How often do we pray for what we want instead of for God’s will? We think if we want it, it must be God’s will, right? It doesn’t always works that way.
How do you respond after the election?
If the results of an election are what we wanted, then we proclaim it was God’s will. If our candidates loose, then we claim otherwise, find someone to blame, and believe the devil himself rigged the elections.
That two-faced attitude should open our eyes and our hearts to see the limitations and hypocrisy of the human will.
What if it was actually God’s will that your candidate lost?
If everyone is praying for what they want, and these requests contradict each other, how does God answer those prayers. Or does God even take sides like that in political situations?
God gives us the answer to that through the prophet Isaiah,
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 NLT
Something to think about.
After the election, what next?
Now, the main reason for this particular episode at this precise moment is to encourage you to ask yourself: Regardless of who I voted for and regardless of who won the election, how will I pray after the election?
If your favored candidates lost, will you pray to undermine those who won or will you try to find common ground and move forward together?
If your candidates won, will you completely disregard the perspective of those who lost, or will you try to find common ground and make progress together?
Now you may be thinking: Hey James, What you’re saying sounds pretty good, but I’m really not involved in politics. I don’t have any dealings with anyone in government. I’m just trying to navigate daily life with all its challenges. How do I go forward after the election? How do I pray about things? Some of my candidates won and some didn’t. I’m a little worried about what’s going to happen in the country.
Those are really good questions. Most of us are not directly involved in the government locally, on the state level, or nationally. How do we go forward after the election? How do we pray after the election, whether our party won or lost?
Helpful ideas
There are several things I have found helpful. And these aren’t necessarily in any specific order.
While it’s very tempting to get excited when the candidates I voted for win, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way, I have learned that I find a lot more peace of mind when I remember that God is in charge, over and above whoever is in a particular political office.
Yes of course, God can work through anyone in any political party, even the one you didn’t vote for, but the question is: Are you putting your trust in people in positions of authority or are you putting your trust in God?
Here’s a really good reminder,
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:9, 14 NIV
If you are convinced only one person or one party can solve the problems in a country, you may be putting your trust in princes, people in government positions of power and influence, instead of God.
If your candidates lost
So how do we pray after the election? I’ll ask again: If your candidate lost, will you pray for the winner to fail or will you pray for God to help them do the right thing?
When your prayers are flavored with your own personal opinions and preconceptions, they are hardly prayers at all, but just a rant of self-will.
This is just as true if your candidate wins. I repeat: When your prayers are flavored with your personal opinions and preconceptions, they are hardly prayers at all, but just a rant of self-will.
After the election, your prayers are needed more than ever. Not prayers of self-will or self-justification, but humble prayers imploring God’s guidance for all those elected.
Maybe the first thing you need to pray about is letting go of your will and praying to see more clearly how you can obey God’s will today and in the days to come. And you can pray for God’s will of love, justice, and mercy to bless everyone, even the people you voted against who won the election.
If your candidates won
And if your candidates won, it can be tempting to let the pride of victory swell up in your heart. This does no one any good. Gratitude is one thing. But pride is never a healthy response.
Victory should actually invoke humility, especially for the winning candidates and party. It’s a time to listen thoughtfully for God’s guidance.
The Bible Speaks to You Podcast is all about learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus did. We need this approach to life all the time, and how you think and act after the election is no exception.
If you’re serious about following Jesus, first of all, it’s important to remember Jesus didn’t get involved in politics. He didn’t judge his success on which government official was appointed to a particular position. He didn’t cozy up to the Pharisees and Sadducees to earn their approval.
His mind was somewhere else, the kingdom of heaven.
Following Jesus
In fact, the key message of his entire ministry was:
… the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17 KJV
You don’t have to vote for it. It’s already there.
And just before he was crucified Jesus made it clear to Pilate,
My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36 NIV
Jesus was more focused on what was going on in the kingdom of heaven than he was with what was going on in the kingdoms of the Earth.
This is a good attitude for you and me to embrace. If you are overly preoccupied with which candidate won or lost an election, which party, according to your opinion, will cause or solve the most problems, it’s time to refocus your time and attention and affections on the kingdom of heaven.
After the election, keep your eyes on the kingdom of heaven
Jesus didn’t say this specifically in regard to political elections, but it applies nonetheless:
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 NLT
If we spent half the time and energy seeking God’s kingdom as we do debating and fretting over political kingdoms, we would have peace of mind beyond measure. And in the process, Jesus promises that you’ll have “everything you need.”
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that the political process isn’t important. You should be informed about the issues and vote according to your conscience. But no political party or policy or person can solve problems in the same way Jesus did, or in the same way you can when you follow him and are aware that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
It didn’t matter to Jesus who the Roman governor was. It didn’t matter to him who the rulers of the Sanhedrin were. The people in those positions could not stop him from teaching, preaching, and healing. None of them could prevent him from fulfilling the Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament.
He had a different agenda than they did. He was living in a different world than they were. And instead of trying to control the people, like these human leaders were, he actually helped people in ways government and religious leaders could not.
Christ can do what government can’t
Now, I admit, having good, honest, hardworking men and women in government positions at all levels is incredibly important to the success of any government. But no one can do for the population of a country what Christ can.
And no government policy can take the place of you following Christ, no matter who wins an election or what happens after the election.
So, what are some ways you can follow Jesus after the election, regardless of who won? How can you pray more effectively?
Praying after the election
Let’s start with something so obvious, we almost think it’s not that relevant. Do you
…love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength? Mark 12:30 NLT
To solve any problem, to do anything better, begins with knowing and loving God. It’s about your relationship with God.
The more you cherish and nurture your relationship with God, before, during, and after the election, the more you will naturally,
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 NLT
Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself is what’s needed more than anything else after the election.
It’s not just about how to pray after the election. It’s really about how much love you can express to how many people, especially the people you disagree with politically.
Actually, loving your neighbor as yourself is prayer in action.
Your prayers for others after the election
What if someone who voted differently than you and was adamantly opposed to your political views, but didn’t know your political leaning, asked you to pray for them? But you knew. Would you condemn them verbally or silently? Would you pray for them to change their political opinions?
Or would you set aside your own political opinions and pray humbly for God to heal their problems? How much would you simply love them as a child of God, regardless of their political persuasion?
Jesus didn’t care so much if someone was a religious or civic leader, the lowest outcast of society, or anywhere in between. He cared about whether someone’s heart was open and receptive to him and his message. Those are the people he spent time with, helping and healing them.
After the election, are you more interested in justifying and defending your political opinions or in sharing the love of Christ with people?
If you’re going to call yourself a Christian, it means you’re going to follow Jesus, to the best of your ability, in loving and ministering to others, regardless of what political party they’re a member of.
Following Jesus more faithfully
And there’s another thing you can pray about after the election: to follow Jesus more faithfully than you ever have before. It’s always easy to notice how someone else should do a better job of following Jesus. But we don’t always see how we can do a better job of it ourselves.
Another important way to pray after the election is the prayer of forgiveness. Candidates, as well as their supporters, all too often say and do things that are far from Christlike. They tell lies about their opponents. They twist and manipulate the facts to their advantage. They make unreasonable promises they’ll never keep.
Not all candidates fall into this kind of behavior, but it does happen. After the election, it’s time to forgive these people. By forgiving them, in no way do I mean you should ever condone their bad behavior.
I mean to let go of your anger, resentment, and condemnation toward them. Otherwise, their evil actions will keep living rent free in your mind, and will do you more harm than you can imagine.
Perhaps you said and did some things that were not very loving leading up to the election. You got caught up in the intensity of the moment and the issues, and now you realize you weren’t acting in a Christlike way. Realizing this and forgiving yourself is a first step to expressing more love to those around you.
After the election, a heart that is not following Christ will either want to retreat in despair and hopelessness if their candidates lose or retaliate and fight against the people and politics they oppose.
Of if their candidates win, they might feel a surge of self-righteousness and take great pleasure in ridiculing those who lost.
After the election, following Christ most important
But the heart loyal to Christ will find ways to express love and compassion to everyone after the election, no matter what their own or another’s political affiliation is.
How will you pray after the election? How closely will you follow Christ in the way you reach out to and love others?
It’s reasonable to acknowledge that the result of the election will affect your life and determine where things go and what happens in your country. And no doubt, that will have a huge effect.
But there’s something that can have an even bigger and more long lasting effect on your well-being and that of your country. It’s the way you follow Christ, share Christ’s love with others, and encourage others to do the same.
Never underestimate the value and power you or anyone can bring to your community when following Christ is the first priority.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Isaiah 55:9 NLT
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Psalm 118:9, 14 NIV
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
14 The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
Matthew 4:17 KJV
17 … the kingdom of heaven is at hand
John 18:36 NIV
36 My kingdom is not of this world.
Matthew 6:33 NLT
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Mark 12:30 NLT
30 …love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength?
Luke 10:27 NLT
27 “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
