I have always enjoyed playing team sports. From playing first base in little league to wide-receiver in high school to running the mile relay in track and field, I have always loved being a part of something bigger than one person.
A presidential election can feel a lot like a team sport. There are basically two “teams” battling it out for the prize. There are game strategies and everyone plays their own position on the team. In fact, it is appropriately called a “race.”
And like most races, there’s only one victor. It may be a photo finish, but someone is going to be called the winner, even if it’s by a nose.
The first five years of my team sports journey, my coaches focused on two things: (1) helping me develop the fundamental skills of the game; and, (2) learning how to be gracious in victory and magnanimous in defeat.
I found that the older I got the higher the stakes of the game and the more difficult it was to practice that second lesson. Even so, it’s a lesson that has served me well my entire life.
I am writing this article three days before the election. By the time you read it voting will be all but over and even though we may not yet know who won, we will have done everything we could for our team.
At this point, the question on every Christian’s mind should not be who won, but what now? What is the Christian response to the outcome of the presidential race irrespective of which side wins?
There are five post-election Chrisitan actions that are demanded by the life and teachings of Jesus.
#1 Pray for the peaceful transfer of power.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9).
Ever since Alexis de Tocqueville published his Democracy in America, the trajectory of the American experiment in self-rule has been the envy of many nations.
One of the vital, distinguishing characteristics of American democracy has been the peaceful transfer of power from one party to another – one ideology to another – one agenda to another.
A bulwark against the human tendency towards fascism has been the expectation that every four to eight years, the incumbent president will change addresses and move from the most powerful position in the world to ordinary citizenship.
Violent reactions to election results and attempts to stay in power by force has been the misfortune of those who envy us.
We have an election system that allows for those who lost the election to contest the results. It is a peaceful process that is decided by the judiciary branch of our government because both the executive and legislative branches are overtly partisan.
That process will most certainly be utilized this year by whoever loses the election. That is a good thing as long as the laws governing the process are followed and the results honored.
The Apostle Paul warned against the person who thinks himself above the law. In fact, it is the “man of lawlessness” who will lead many Christians astray (2 Thess. 2). The Apostle John wrote, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
There is a proper time and process for protesting and changing unjust laws. However, violence is never the answer. It is never the way of the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) or His followers who are called blessed only when they stand with the poor (Matt. 5:3), love justice (Jer. 9:24; Matt. 5:6), and promote peace (Matt. 5:9).
#2 Pray for the President-Elect.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior …” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
If you believe the presidential polls, the race is a toss-up. Both camps project confidence in victory, but no one has a crystal ball clear enough to call it with certainty.
Whoever wins will need our prayers. The job has become too big for one person. Both the global and domestic challenges facing the incoming president are enough to make the bravest cower.
He or she will need our prayers for strength and wisdom from on high. Jesus taught us to pray, not only for our friends and neighbors, but also our enemies (Matt. 5:44).
If your candidate wins I’m sure you will gladly pray for them. Praying for the people you love is not all that impressive. As Jesus said, even the godless do that (Matt. 5:46).
The more impressive Christian is the one who prays for the new president even though they didn’t vote for them.
#3 Pray for the candidate who lost and all who voted for him or her.
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer. 29:7).
If your candidate loses the race you may feel a bit like an exile – a foreigner in a changing landscape. You may be angry that things didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. You may even feel a certain amount of fear at what it will mean for the country.
That’s understandable.
What you’re feeling is only a fraction of the turmoil the exiles were feeling after Babylon destroyed their beloved Jerusalem. They were taken into captivity to a foreign land and made to serve a people who spoke a different language and served different gods.
In their moment of existential crisis, God sent them a letter via the prophet Jeremiah in which he commanded them to be pro-Babylonian. He told them to work for the good of those in charge because if the Babylonians prospered, so too would they.
This is a radical call to pray both for the party that lost and to roll up your sleeves and actively work to help the party that won. Unfortunately, there are those in both parties who will actively pursue the demise of the sitting president simply because they are on the wrong side of the aisle.
This attitude is morally wrong, spiritually deadly, and unbiblical. In every circumstance, God commanded his people to work diligently for the good of all people. This is the only attitude that God blesses.
We are to pray for those who lost and work for the success of the sitting president because if he or she prospers, then we will all prosper.
#4 Pray for the church to be a light that shines for Christ.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).
The work of the church is to shine the light of Christ. Period. Full stop. End of story.
We will make a difference in the world only to the degree that we shine the full love of Christ on every person in our great country and beyond.
We serve a Savior who does not discriminate between persons (Romans 2:11; James 2:1) and who loves mercy over judgment (James 2:13). We don’t get to pick and choose those we love. We are called to love all people of all races and all political persuasions.
Jesus will not honor anything short of that.
#5 Pray for spiritual revival in our country.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matt. 26:52).
The night before his death Jesus told his followers that they would betray him. Peter shook his head and vehemently proclaimed his undying loyalty to Jesus. Later that night, Peter backed up his promise with action.
When the enemy had them surrounded, Peter threw himself in front of Jesus, drew his sword, and started swinging. He tried to take one guy’s head off, missed and lopped off his ear instead.
True to his pledge, Peter was ready to die for Jesus.
That’s when Jesus shocked everyone. He told Peter to put his sword away. Then he picked up the poor man’s ear and put it back in place. Jesus rebuked his friend and healed the enemy.
It was a final, living sermon on the way of Christ. It is not by the sword that we change lives. It is by the power of the Spirit.
Some want to use the power of the sword (the power of the State) to force people to behave like Christians. They want to create laws that will squeeze every American citizen into line with certain Biblical commands.
This is wrongheaded for one simple reason: The law does not have the power to change the heart. It never has and never will.
The law can certainly act as a deterrent but will never have the power to eradicate bad behavior. The law is impotent when it comes to changing lives (Romans 8:1-4).
Only spiritual revival can do that.
Asking the State to force people to live out a biblical ethic reveals a stunning lack of faith in the power of Jesus to do it. Instead, the church should put away the sword, have faith in the power of Christ, and use her vast resources to work for spiritual revival.
Christians believe in a God who is sovereign over all nations. Therefore, no matter who wins this election, every Christian has an important role to play in bringing our nation together, healing our national wounds, and forging a path forward as “one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
This insight was written by Dr. Ellis Orozco, the Public Theologian in Residence at Stark College & Seminary. Dr. Orozco served in ministry as a pastor for 30 years and is the founder and CEO of Karooso Ministries.
Visit Dr. Orozco’s Blog to read more.