The Election: A Timely Call for Prayer

by Tracy Gordon

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” –1 Timothy 2:1-4

I have not been sleeping very well lately. Maybe some of you can relate. There’s a lot going on in our world, nation, and communities. So many things just don’t make sense and the contentiousness of our upcoming elections is disheartening. All of these things can cause anxiety and sleepless nights. However, rather than sit in a state of hopelessness and despair, there is something we MUST do. You and I have been drafted into the Lord’s army and He is commanding us to PRAY. The way we engage in warfare is by raising the sword of the Spirit, buckling our knees, and inviting others to storm the gates of heaven with us. We cannot change the world around us if we are not motivated to pray. Just like in Ezekiel 22, the Lord is asking us to stand in the gap and pray so that He can mightily move. We can’t be like those in ancient Jerusalem, where not one answered God’s call to pray, thus bringing His fiery wrath. When I tend to get worked up over the things I can’t control alone, I remember the words from two of my favorite Christian songs: “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ love and righteousness” and “Jesus, our living hope.” Wow, what a reminder that I can always do something…I can pray! When I do that, I am partnering with the One who brings us that living hope.

This past week, I was awakened in the middle of the night and I truly believe it was a prompting from the Lord. He put the verse 1 Timothy 2:1-4 on my heart and after I read it, I knew it was for the purpose of this devotion. In Paul’s teaching on prayer in this passage of Scripture, his main point is praying for those in authority. According to Paul’s reasoning, we want good government that allows us to live “peaceful and quiet lives,” ultimately freeing us to bring those who are lost to Christ. Praying for the electoral process is the first step in seeing the fulfillment of what Paul is writing about to Timothy. We can’t wait for a leader to be selected before we move into obedient prayer for those in authority. In prayer, we invite the Lord into the process of electing those leaders who will ultimately allow us to lead “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” The selection of leaders who understand and lead according to God’s righteous standards can bring great blessing to a nation. The determination of who leads our nation will also determine who advises that leader and how we are guided.

I wonder how often God wishes His children would come to Him more in prayer? This reflection makes me think of when my children were growing up. I so wanted them to feel like they could come to me with anything that was on their heart or mind. I wanted to be there for them and hear it all! I truly believe God wants the same with us. Personally, when I go to the Lord in prayer, there is an undeniable peace that comes over me, settling me and putting that hope back in my heart. Therefore, I want to invite you to join me in faithful prayer over the next week as we head into our national election. Here are a few prayer prompts that I will be praying into…

• Pray for wisdom and truth during this election.
• Pray for unity in the church and culture during these times of divisiveness.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance for all in authority and leadership in our civil affairs.

I am using a more detailed prayer guide to help keep me focused during this election. If you would like a copy for yourself, you can reach me here. I’d be happy to send it to you. Will you stand in the gap with me? I pray so.

Lord Jesus, as we head toward the election, help us keep our eyes fixed on You. You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we know You have a good and just plan for our great nation. As we partner with You and stand in the gap, we boldly proclaim that our hope is in You and You alone. May Your will be done, Lord. It’s in Your precious name we pray, Amen.