Unless you’ve been living on another planet, you are undoubtedly aware there was a presidential election in the United States last week. Many are elated at the outcome. Many are despondent to the point of leaving the country. However you want to describe it, there is a deep divide in our country. How do we get past all the hateful rhetoric and animosity in order to heal? That is the big question. It seems many expected the election to “fix” our nation’s problems instantly like turning on/off a light switch.
Since the beginning of this great nation, America has always been a divided nation to some extent. While we can unite around a common goal, even then, the 180-degree diversity that exists within our society inevitably leads to some fairly clear lines between the various groups that make up the nation. And that’s okay. After all, diversity cannot exist without differences, and God made each of us unique. However, he also intended for us to share a common foundation as people made in his image (Genesis 1:27).
As our culture increasingly changes, we, as a society, struggle to keep our differences from becoming divisive. All of us struggle at times to show respect to those who think differently than we do on the issues we find most important. Fortunately, we’re not the first group to struggle with that problem, but hopefully, prayerfully, could be the last.
Perhaps the need for space/distance from those we disagree with is why so many in our culture retreat to echo chambers and cling so tightly to their mischaracterizations of the other side. However, God has no intention of allowing us to live that kind of life. Instead, he’s called us to be salt and light, changing our culture from within rather than lobbing Bible verses and judgment from the relative safety of like-minded communities.
As Jim Denison (Denison Forum) so eloquently stated, fortunately, there are three ways to be welcoming:
“One: No one needs to earn kindness. The first step is remembering that our call to be kind and welcoming toward others has nothing to do with whether they have earned such accommodation. Rather, it is meant to be an act of obedience, done in gratitude for the way God has welcomed us.
Two: People are more than their politics. The second step—one that is incredibly important in our current climate—is to remember that people are more than their politics. To be sure, there are those who have made politics their new religion and worship at the feet of whatever party leader best represents their views at a given moment. But most people have a better grasp on reality than that, and how they voted (or if they voted) should not define the way we see them.
Three: Differences are an opportunity to learn from each other. The third and final step in welcoming others as Christ has welcomed us is to entertain the possibility that those with different views than our own can have something to teach us. Of all the ways in which our society has suffered as a result of the “divisive crisis” we’re currently facing, the inability to learn from one another has to be toward the top of the list. Engaging with people who think differently than you is often the best way to evaluate your own beliefs.”
Charles Spurgeon once stated, “I often hear it said, ‘Do not bring religion into politics.’ This is precisely where it ought to be brought.” So how do we do it?
Pray for President Trump to seek God’s wisdom and to lead with biblical priorities and a servant’s heart. Pray for God to use him to unify our nation and to protect him and his administration from evil and to empower them for good (1 Timothy 2:1–2).
Pray for Congress and all elected leaders to be women and men of godly character who set aside personal and partisan agendas to work together for the common good (John 13:14).
Pray for America’s Christians and Christian leaders to be people of prayer, humility, and grace. Ask that we be empowered to speak the truth to our fallen culture in love (Acts 4:29–31; Ephesians 5:18).
Pray for all Americans to honor our leaders, love each other, and “fear God” (1 Peter 2:17).
Pray that each of us would be willing to be the change our nation needs today and everyday (Romans 12:1–2).
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in which he stated: “In no other place and at no other time has the experiment of government of the people, by the people, for the people, been tried on so vast a scale as here in our own country.” Roosevelt’s words still ring true 121 years later.
Then, after thanking God for the provisions of liberty extended to America, Roosevelt prayed “for strength, and light, so that in the coming years we may with cleanliness, fearlessness, and wisdom, do our allotted work on the earth in such a manner as to show that we are not altogether unworthy of the blessings we have received.”
This is a good reminder for us all in this post-election season. What do you think?
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com.
Tagged: Christians in culture, elections and voting, leadership, prayer, scripture
