The Road Not Chosen

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7

and

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord." Is. 30:1

I spoke on this subject a week or so ago, but I feel compelled to come back to it briefly. Our responsibility as Christians who live in America is to use the tools God has given us: prayer, the Bible, wisdom, to help know whom He wants us to vote for as President or for any other elected office.

A good way to help discern which candidate to vote for is to perform a simple litmus test doing two things. First, find out what the candidates have voted for if they have held office previously. Not what they have said in a flowery speech or promised in an interview, but what they really have supported through their actions. Second, compare that to the values given us in the Bible. How does it stack up? Which candidate more closely follows what God says?

I will point out here that a candidate who is not a Christian may more closely follow biblical principles in their politics than one who says they are Christian. Many people will automatically vote for someone who proclaims their Christianity without examining that person's political actions. Would you buy a house based solely on what the outside looked like or would you make sure to examine the interior and check the foundation? To go strictly by appearances is foolish.

I first voted when I was 18 years old and the Vietnam war was still going. Now I am 50 and have lived through a lot of elections, people! I've seen 'em come & go, promises made & broken, promised made & kept, wars ended and wars begun.

Through all this I have come to believe that God will hold us responsible for who we back as our country's "king". Because of this, I do my best to not vote lightly, not vote my emotions or vote my party. I do my best to try to hear from God on what to do and sometimes He has surprised me! 

So this political season, do the hard thing. Dig deeper. Do your research. Don't be moved by speeches or promises from either side. Refuse to be impressed by what appears to be a show of strength. Examine the candidates. Pray and ask God for wisdom. Most of all, be open to what God may say to you, even if it goes against your party leanings. And finally,

Check the foundation!