Involvement

 

Hey, Cobblestone,

     Every once in a while, somebody will ask me if I think Christians should be involved in politics. It’s usually in the autumn of an even-numbered year, kind of like right now. And it’s an odd encounter, in the sense that I’m asked what I think. What I think matters very little, but I’m happy to relate what Scripture says:

     Yes.

     First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:1-4).

     I was especially glad for a reminder Andrew gave us in his sermon last Sunday. He said when we look into Scripture, don’t be looking first for where we are; rather, be looking for where God is, and that’ll keep us from getting all sideways in holy writ. In the passage above, where is God? Ahead of what we may think about kings and all who are in high positions, what does God say about himself in the passage?

     First, he is God our Savior, and we may take that to mean that the kings and high position-holders are not. Romans 13:1 says, Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. From the same verse in the King James Version, we get the term the powers that be. The powers be, all right, but they wouldn’t be if God hadn’t be’d them. If we get confused or frustrated over why certain people hold certain offices, we can do no better than check with the one who put them there, and try to find out what the greater purpose is.   

     The passage also tells us there’s something pleasing in the sight of God our Savior. If pleasing God is important to us, we’ll want to know what that is. It’s in the preceding sentence: that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Now we know what is pleasing in his sight. And how might we manage this? Here it comes: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.

     A Christian’s involvement with politics begins with prayer. Prayer precedes all other involvement, when the involvement is done right. Anything other than prayer-forward devolves quickly into nothing more than the “sharing” of opinions – and we’ve all heard enough crude clichés about opinions to know that everybody’s got at least one. By looking for God first in this passage about prayer, we can keep opinions down-ticket where they belong. I might not want to pray for certain office holders because I don’t agree with what they’re saying or doing. Doesn’t matter – if God would be pleased with me praying only for the office holders I agree with, he would have said so. The fact is, he said all.

     Many of you are, no doubt, already better at this than I am; but still, I’m compelled to give a tutorial of sorts on praying for all who are in high positions. For office holders who are Christians, I pray for the Holy Spirit – “the Spirit of truth” (John 16:13) – to well up in them and affect everyone around them. For office holders who aren’t Christians, I pray salvation first of all. For Christians and non-Christians alike, I pray protection from the devil’s schemes, safety for them and their families, and some reasonable level of peace and privacy even though they’re living in a fishbowl. That’s not all I pray, but it’s not a bad set to start with. Do I ever pray for certain issues to be advanced and some to be halted? Absolutely – but here’s the thing, and the tricky part, and quite honestly, what I have to work hardest at: to separate the issue from the souls of those who are advancing it or opposing it.

     One whole lifetime ago, Kay and I were in a pickle. It seemed very likely we would be on the losing end of a power struggle, and the loss would directly and negatively affect our family in a big way. But my bride, praying girl that she is, looked for God first. She called me one morning as I got to the shop, hadn’t even got out of the truck, and urged me to look into Psalm 20 – Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (verse 7). That verse changed our lives and our family forever. Putting God first, making his name highest, brought about better outcomes than any of us could have imagined.

     I’ve talked with a couple of Christians lately who are considering running for public office on the grounds that we need more people making decisions who can think like Jesus. I agree (as if it matters what I think!) – as long as prayer is the first particle of involvement. To broaden the concept to, well, all of us who have the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16), the same applies from our own houses to the White House and beyond… or to simply stepping into a voting booth. Will we trust in the name of the LORD our God?

     For at least the past ten years, in political arenas large and small, loud-and-overbearing has been the go-to tactic. Debates, by and large, became uncivil shouting matches that no second-grade teacher would allow in a classroom or on a playground. And how’s that working out for us? Is there a better way? Scripture says Yes, and calls the people of God to lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way – lowly and unassuming, yet supremely confident in the name of the LORD our God. 

  

Grace and Peace (and trust, well placed),

 

John