Just a thought about reasons for voting. God has set us in a country that allows voting. That is His doing in the big picture. We should use this great freedom wisely. IMO it would pain God's heart to see us not voting when that is one of God's gifts to us in the U.S.A. and other countries. What voting is, is giving the people a controlled choice. If God were to choose for us, we would still be being led by the prophets and Judges of old like Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon. Not only did these men and a woman, bring the peace to the nation but they kept it for 40 and 80 years. Frankly, for the times it was a superior system.
The choice we have before us is not as a king or queen, or a dictator that takes the throne by overpowering the people. We don’t have to win good treatment by wooing and pleasing the ruler. God never wanted us to have such leadership. Rather God did and still does want to be our only King (ruling today by the Holy Spirit through Jesus the Messiah), because only He is trustworthy enough. (Deut. 33:5) When God was King in Israel, he chose all the leaders: 1st the prophets, then the Judges, then the Priests.
What voting is about in our era is choosing a person within the guidelines of our country who will implement the good desires of the nation’s people. It is supposed to be by the people and for the people. This is about a whole system that God has allowed, for us to have a voice in what kind of life we live in this nation. We are a mixed nation of good and not so good people, of people who trust in God and people who don’t. This system will work if we get out and vote. That is the proper use of our voice. Angry debating, trying to coerce people into choosing your choice is not God’s Way. Paul chastised Timothy’s people to stop arguing, because they didn’t even understand the Law they were arguing over. (1st Timothy 1) If we don’t know who to vote for then with God’s guidance and prayer, we should learn all we can about them. Because it is not only their words that are the picture into their soul but their past and present actions as well.
And now some thoughts about how we choose. Yes, we choose with compassion, not seeking to destroy the reputation of the ones we don’t choose. It’s not about who we don’t want as much as it is about who we do want. Because it is our individual voice that God has given us freedom to use, our reasons are ours and important to God. What may be a reasonable choice for one person may not be a reasonable choice for another. That is the way this works. Then the collective vote will determine which person is more needed by the collective people of this nation at this time in history.
It is a mistake for churches to seek to instruct their members as to which is the “right” person to vote for. I’ve had that happen before where certain ones have passed around a list to people to vote for to make sure that everyone understood who were the right people to vote for in all categories, even advising which party platform to vote on. This is in effect seeking to override the individual’s voice and implement your own. Sometimes, families are taught that every voting member of the family must vote as the husband/father decides. This not only adds voice/votes to the husband/father but overrides the individual’s choice. Essentially that has an element of evilness to it.
Not everyone is going to have the same reasons for their choice. Trustworthiness is an important factor. People have different points of trust that are important to them. If a person believes some government action brought damage to them, then it is reasonable for that person to not trust the ones they feel share some responsibility for it. If a person does not trust an attitude expressed, a position of belief, past actions of a candidate and feels unsafe with such a person leading then it is reasonable not to vote for that one. Each person of mature age is to get a vote so that their voice is heard. That is the present system. It is also acceptable to not want a person of a particular race, gender, or social standing or to want a person of a particular race, gender or social standing. It is about YOUR voice being heard.
Some suggestions! I recommend hearing both candidates talk, watching both candidates in action (sometimes actions are louder than words), researching both the negatives and the positives. Make a personal list. List all the negatives on one side and all the positive on the other side. This is your viewpoint and your view. I suggest that we do not finalize this list until near the time we are scheduled to vote. Pray constantly for God’s Spirit to guide you so that your heart is expressed. The Lord wants you to find your voice and let it be heard on the ballots.
ENDNOTE: this is not a subject I usually write on. So, I encourage you to add to this. Give me/us your suggestions as to how you go about deciding, listening, etc. What do you do about those who want to debate you, who want to paintbrush out your reasons, who do not want to let you have your voice. How do you encourage others. How do you have and encourage compassion on those who think differently. :)
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