Politics
This Election Day, I stood in line at an elementary school to exercise the wonderful privilege of voting in our American democracy. As I stood there, I thought about the similarities with another American birthright -- freedom of religion.
Not all Americans avail themselves of these rights. Of the 198 million Americans who were old enough to vote in 2000, only 123 million (62%) registered. Of those who registered, 102 million actually voted (83%). So, a little more than half the eligible Americans cared enough to participate in our democratic process.
A recent poll in Psychology Today shows that prayer does a little better. About 80% of American men and 92% of American women say they pray, at least occasionally.
Another similarity between voting and praying – many people who participate in these activities worry that they won’t really have an impact. Voters often fear their votes won’t count for anything, and the faithful worry that their prayers won’t change anything.
I wonder whether we aren’t looking at these things in the wrong light.
Prayer isn’t really about changing God. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. Even if we could change God to see things our way, we would be silly to do it. Prayer is really a way to change ourselves so that we conform to God’s will. The more we pray, the more we see things His way.
Now voting is a little different. If enough people vote one way, they actually can change the outcome. But if we look a little closer, voting is still a lot like praying.
Aren’t we a little more likely to care about our government when we participate in it? Don’t we understand the issues better when we have opinions on them?
Just as prayer is the language of religion, voting is the language of democracy. But while voting is about here and now -- praying is all about the hereafter.
Jesus put it this way:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)
As Christians, we must live in both worlds. We are tempted to lash out at those who don't embrace Christian values -- especially during heated election debates.
But let’s not forget that God is in charge. He knows us, He knows what we need. He even knows the outcome of our elections in advance.
Without Him, well, we wouldn’t have a prayer.
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Al, Thank you for sharing some profound thoughts on this election day, Blessings to you, Rita
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