Election Prep & The Power of a Voice

In the first two verses of the 3rd chapter of Titus, we get some insight into our posture as citizens of heaven, as well as good citizens of our nation:
1Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,2to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

What is very special in America is that we get the opportunity to participate in the selection process for those who will be our governmental leaders.  And, as 1st Timothy 2 reminds us, we also have that responsibility to pray for those who have been selected and who serve in leadership.  And, while there is a human tendency to complain about our leaders and the fruit of their decisions, we have to be mindful that our prayers and participation can be powerful tools in order to shape the influence of God and His word upon our society.

In seemingly small or large ways, we are called to take intentional action to walk in God's ways and uphold His truth, with the possibility of playing a part in impacting our culture.  Galatians 6 says:
8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Election Day is coming up next Tuesday, and I trust that you are making plans to cast your ballot and make your voice heard.  What an incredible privilege we have to participate in the process of the selection of our governmental leaders.

According to a recent Gallup analysis, there are many voters that don't believe their vote will make much difference. Frank Newport, Gallup's Editor-in-Chief (referring to an earlier Gallup piece by Jeff Jones), states that, "Americans' collective thought given to this election is lower than has been the case in the two most recent midterm elections in 2010 and 2006. Likewise, enthusiasm and self-reported motivation to vote are also down..."

He points out that:

Americans have extraordinarily negative views of Congress across a variety of measures. Thus, we can say that this negativity is apparently being transmuted by voters into apathy rather than action. One might hypothesize that voters would be energized to vote in an effort to get rid of members of Congress and effect change. Instead, we find that Americans, on a relative basis, are in fact not displaying any unusual signs of heightened interest in the election - despite their high level of disdain for Congress.

Other reasons for voters' seeming lack of motivation to be involved in things electoral that he puts forth include the thought that voters may have that their vote will not really change things, due to a divided Congress, a point made in the Jones article.

Newport also says that there is no overarching problem that is driving voters, and that Gallup's October update provides quite a variety of areas of concern.  Those include: the economy, dysfunctional government, healthcare, immigration, the federal deficit, declining ethics, education and more recently Ebola and the situation relating to Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq.  The economy, in general, though, only gets 17% of mentions, with economic problems combined mentioned by 38% of respondents.

There is quite a paradox here:  if Americans observe a dysfunctional, divided, and ineffective government, then you think that they would be highly motivated by and large to try to change that by selecting new leaders.  But, the opposite seems to be the case, based on this data.

So, how does this information affect our lives and practices?  First of all, I think we as Christians should be motivated to get involved in the simple act of voting.   We do not live in a totalitarian state or in a country where people's lives are on the line when they go to the polls - so while there is relatively little impedance, there is considerably little risk.  But, the impact can be significant - if we want to change the direction of our government and its practices, then one small and important step we can take is to vote.

And, we have to recognize that changing our government is only one component of changing our culture.   So often, we get duped into thinking that a new elected representative here, a skilled orator there might work to help alter the course of our nation.  I think that there are other actions in which we can be involved - prayer is certainly a key, plus our willingness to share God's principles rooted in the message of salvation through Christ.   I think we can be released from the shackles of discouragement and its frequent companions of complaining and complacency.  We can develop a determined attitude to follow God's purpose for our lives and to be active in influencing the culture as His ambassadors.