Here in the United States, which I call home, there’s an election coming up next week.
You may have heard.
It’s been mentioned once or twice.
And regardless of which side of the political aisle you’re on, you may have concerns about what happens next.
I do.
But before you wonder where this is going, let me reassure you: this isn’t a political post.
I have political opinions, to be sure. Some fairly strong ones, actually.
But I believe God has given me a different assignment for this blog. He hasn’t given me permission to turn it into a platform for those opinions.
So whether we would agree on every candidate or cancel out each other’s votes, what I want to share is the same.
We have reason to trust God this week.
Simply because of who He is.
The Reason He Gives Us
Consider these words God spoke to Israel through Isaiah—words that still reveal His character to us today:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
What strikes me is the reason God gives His people for not being afraid.
His presence.
His relationship with them.
His promise to strengthen and uphold them.
He doesn’t tell them to take another look at their circumstances until they find something reassuring.
He directs their attention to Himself.
In our daily devotional, one day this week it was given by Sadie Robertson Huff (from the family made famous by Duck Dynasty). She recalled memories of her grandmother reading this verse to her, saying that her grandma had emphasized the word “I” coming from God. And with her Southern accent, it sounded like she was saying “Ah”. So:
Ah am with you.
Ah am your God.
Those words were spoken to Israel in a particular setting. They aren’t a promise that America will prosper or that my preferred candidates will win.
But they reveal the character of the God we trust.
And ah need that reminder.
Because I can spend quite a bit of time examining everything that might go wrong while giving very little attention to the One who has promised to be with me.
A Kingdom Bigger Than Our Country
I love the United States.
I’m grateful for the freedoms and opportunities I’ve enjoyed here. And I believe God’s providence has been at work in our nation’s history, even amid our failures.
I believe He loves the people of this country deeply.
But His love doesn’t stop at our borders.
And His kingdom cannot be contained within them.
That kingdom includes people who speak languages I don’t understand, live under governments very different from ours, and have never cast a vote in an American election.
People Christ loves.
People He came to save.
I can care deeply about my country while remembering that God’s purposes reach far beyond it.
America matters.
But America and the kingdom of God are not interchangeable.
And sometimes I need to examine whether I’ve allowed my concern for one to overshadow my commitment to the other.
What Jesus Came to Do
I think about the Jewish people during Jesus’ earthly ministry.
These were God’s covenant people, living under oppressive Roman rule.
There were taxes, foreign soldiers, and painful reminders that they did not govern themselves. It’s understandable that many longed for deliverance.
Imagine the possibilities when Jesus appeared.
Someone who could heal the sick.
Feed a crowd.
Command a storm.
Surely someone with that kind of authority could do something about Rome.
Yet when people intended to make Him king by force, Jesus withdrew. (John 6:15)
Later, standing before Pilate, He explained that His kingdom did not originate in this world or depend on His followers fighting to prevent His arrest. (John 18:36)
Jesus cared about people suffering under injustice. His ministry overflowed with compassion for people whose lives were hard.
But He had come to accomplish something deeper than replacing their rulers.
He came to reconcile people to God.
To confront sin and death.
To establish a kingdom that Rome could neither create nor destroy.
Had He driven out the Romans, people would still have needed forgiveness.
They would still have needed new hearts.
They would still have needed Him.
That helps me put our own moment into perspective.
Government matters. Leadership matters. Decisions made by elected officials affect real people, sometimes profoundly.
But no election can accomplish what only Jesus can do.
Faithful With What’s Ours to Do
So yes, we should take our civic responsibilities seriously.
We should become informed, think carefully, pray for wisdom, and vote for the right candidates.
The ones I—
Just kidding.
I’m human, so it’s hard to resist that temptation.
But after we’ve done what is ours to do, we still have to decide where to place our confidence.
And that’s where I can get into trouble.
I can say I trust God while acting as though everything depends on an election result.
I can become so absorbed in what might happen that I neglect the person He has placed in front of me.
Someone who needs encouragement.
Someone who needs practical help, regardless of whether we agree on politics.
Someone who needs to encounter the love of Christ through the way I treat them.
Jesus tells us to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first. (Matthew 6:33)
That priority applies during election week, too.
Especially when I’m tempted to put everything else first.
Search Me, God
This is where another passage from our Friday devotional has been speaking to me:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
That’s a courageous prayer.
It invites God into the thoughts I might prefer to defend.
The fears I’ve been feeding.
The motives I haven’t examined.
And the next verse asks Him to expose what is offensive in us and lead us in His everlasting way. (Psalm 139:24)
So perhaps my prayer this week needs to include a few uncomfortable questions.
Lord, has my concern become consuming anxiety?
Am I treating people who disagree with me as people You love?
Have I confused confidence in my own judgment with confidence in You?
Am I spending more time imagining what others might do than asking what You want me to do?
I don’t ask those questions because caring about an election is wrong.
I ask because I know how easily something I care about can begin to govern my heart.
And I want that place to belong to Him.
After the Votes Are Counted
Trusting God doesn’t mean every outcome will be good.
It doesn’t mean every leader will govern wisely, or that people the politicians claim to represent will lead better lives.
God’s sovereignty doesn’t make every human decision an expression of His approval.
But it does mean that human decisions cannot finally defeat His purposes.
Whatever the results, we will still be able to pray.
To serve.
To speak truth with love.
To care for our neighbors.
To share the hope we have in Christ.
Paul urges believers to pray for those in authority, connecting those prayers with peaceful, godly living and God’s desire for people to know the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1–4)
That includes leaders I voted for.
And leaders I didn’t.
It also gives me something useful to do with my worry. Paul teaches us to bring our concerns to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, and describes His peace guarding our hearts and minds in Christ. (Philippians 4:6–7)
I may need to do that more than once.
Possibly before breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But each time, I can return to the same foundation.
God knows what I don’t.
He remains faithful when I’m unsettled.
And His invitation to trust Him doesn’t expire when the results disappoint me.
So I have already voted.
More importantly, I intend to pray.
And with His help, I intend to keep loving the people He puts in my path.
I don’t know what the coming week will bring.
But I know who will meet us there.
And because of who He is, I have reason to face it with hope, regardless of election outcomes.
