Since God gave me understanding of His lordship over nations of the earth and His active role in appointing leaders, the phrase “Government by the people” has become sort of a statement of rebellion and “antiGod” to me.
It’s good to have you reading this week’s post. May the truth of God bless your heart and build you up. Amen. If you’ve not read last week’s post, you can do that by clicking here.
Democracy is not exactly the will of God. A government which allows the people pick their leader based on the judgement of what they see with their eyes and what they hear with their ears is not the will of God. A government that makes the people in charge instead of God is not His will.
How do I know this?
When the Israelites chose the kind of government they wanted, God said to Samuel “they have rejected me, it’s not you they’ve rejected“. The will of God is not only to choose those who rule (which he does with or without your permission) but that we know it, acknowledge it and find a faith-filled satisfaction and rest in it. The problem is we’re only concerned with the things of man and not of God.
Certain things are seen in a democracy. Examples are election, rights, franchise, etc. Today, I am writing to you on the place of voting and election and it will only make sense to you if you have read last week’s post .
Having understood that God chooses the rulers, we would naturally ask “then why do we vote”. Well I want to mention three important things about voting. One will be the reason we vote and the other two will be about what God can do through our votes or maybe I should say “what our vote does.”
The first thing, which is about the reason we vote is that it’s a civic duty. As Christians, we’re taught to submit to all governing authority. It’s important to know the difference between rights and duties. A believer must be ready to let go of their rights but must do all that’s in their power to fulfill their duty to the government to the fullest…and this includes payment of tax.
So because God commands our obedience to governing authority, voting is not just a right that can be pushed aside but a duty (this has been used to justify the idea of compulsory voting but that’s not my focus) and as believers, we have to carry out our duty except otherwise incapacitated.
The second thing that I will say about voting is that it sometimes is a revealer of values. It was more important to the Israelites that they got a king who could lead a standing army to battle than having priests and prophets teach them the counsel of God and so if they were given the opportunity to vote, for as many as had the above mindset, they wouldn’t have voted any other person but Saul whom the Lord had already announced knowing the hearts of the people that rejected Him because Saul had the physical stature of a warrior king.
In the same way, if it is more important to a man that the roads are good and electricity supply is constant than for corruption to end, if Jesus stood before him and the devil who would give him what he wants, he would campaign for the devil and vote for him. Sometimes you’ll see a man complain so bitterly about the government and on election day he sells his vote claiming “it doesn’t matter after all.” No sir!! Such a man is only concerned with his immediate satisfaction.
Listen brethren you can’t be haphazard with your vote. Let your vote be an expression of your prayers in your closet. Be serious about it. Of course,it’s not what elects a leader but it has been given to you to do, do it faithfully.
Finally, the Lord could have mercy on a people and through their votes, elect for them a good leader. This doesn’t need further explanation. I put it last because election/voting is just one of the many millions of ways God can give the throne to the leader He chooses.
Brethren, I summarize by saying let us humble ourselves before God. Let us seek His face and hearken to His word. Look in the scriptures and understand how leaders are chosen. It has not changed!!!
Thank you for reading from me today. God bless you.
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Ancient Word 