Pray and vote...

Election Day is upon us. In just a few days, tens of millions of Americans will go to the polls to elect a new set of men and women to rule them. These citizens will have their say in who governs their fair cities and counties and states. They will elect mayors and judges and sheriffs and district attorneys and treasurers and governors and a whole host of officials they’ve never heard of. Some of those tens of millions of voters will give a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” to ballot initiatives and bond issues.

If it is the Lord’s will for me to live until Tuesday, I plan to cast my ballot at the city building. I hope you aim to do the same. It is a great privilege to be given a say in who will govern you. Not everyone in the world has the right to do that. I urge you to pray for our nation and vote as God directs you.

A lot of decisions will be made on Tuesday, important decisions, but the one decision that the majority of folks are most focused on is the race for president. While there are six candidates in that race, practically all eyes are on two – Obama and McCain. These two have captured the lion’s share of the media coverage and of the millions of dollars in campaign contributions. It’s likely, highly likely, that one or the other of these senators will be the next president of the United States.

I’m not endorsing either of them (I’ve done that in earlier posts) nor am I disparaging the five courageous men and the one brave woman who are running third-party campaigns against them. I’m simply stating the facts: McCain and Obama, with their national name recognition and well-oiled Democratic and Republican political machinery, have the best chance of winning the presidency.

So how do you feel about these guys?

A few of you – I’m just guessing – are enthusiastically supportive of one or the other. You like what Obama stands for or what McCain represents. You have bright hopes for the future. You anticipate change for the better. You will joyfully enter the voting booth this week and tap your man’s name exuberantly.

Good for you! You are rare. Wish there were more like you.

Of those who aren’t enthusiastic, ambivalence seems to be a fairly prevalent attitude. Some are asking, “300,000,000 people in the US and these are the best we have?” Others are saying, “I like that one guy, sort of.” A few honest folks confess, “I dislike this guy less than I dislike the other.”

I’ve had numerous conversations with people who aren’t sure about either of the two main contenders. I’ve heard good friends say, “I’m voting for the lesser of two evils.”

Have you heard the same from your friends? Is that how you feel?

If not eager anticipation or half-hearted resignation, perhaps you’re gripped by desperate fears.

My cousin, a devout Catholic living in Nevada, wrote me this week, uneasy about the election. As he talked about McCain and Obama throughout his note, he used fear words repeatedly. “Scared,” “apprehensive,” “dread” and “afraid” all made appearances in connection to the front runners.

(He is, as a matter of conscience and conviction, voting for Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party because he didn’t feel like he could trust either Obama or McCain. He gave me permission to talk about his letter to me.)

Before my cousin’s email arrived this week, I received another last week from two or three different people that began with these words: “This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced.” It was actually an invitation to pray about the election for one minute every day leading up to November 4th. People on the East Coast pray at 9:00pm. Folks in the middle at 8:00pm. 7:00pm for the folks in the Mountain time zone and 6:00pm in the Pacific. A nice enough suggestion, I suppose. A great way to unite Christians. Praying as one for a minute isn’t a bad idea. Pass it along. But I felt uncomfortable passing along this particular note because of the fearful tone set in that opening sentence. I suppose I could’ve edited the “scariest” words out, but I didn’t think of that until now when it’s practically too late.

Believers, we have nothing to fear! We have reason to be excited! God is in control. He will still be in control Wednesday morning…no matter who wins the election. I hope you will pray and vote enthusiastically Tuesday – not with a sigh or a moan.