Any thinking person who understands and cherishes the nature of the God we serve has struggled with the defiling spirit of this election cycle. Never in my lifetime have the choices been so unappealing. Faced with two deeply objectionable nominees, I would counsel everyone to stop focusing on the flaws of the candidates as people and examine the party platforms. Pray. Discern. Listen to the Spirit of God. Then study and vote for the party platform – as opposed to the person – that most represents your values. If you feel that you must vote for a third party candidate in order to salve your conscience, then do so, but consider that the next president will appoint 1 to 3 Supreme Court justices who, unlike the temporary occupants of the White House, will serve for life and affect the future of our nation for a generation.
I will tell no one how to vote, nor am I allowed to prophesy the outcome. I merely encourage all of us to examine the issues, pray, listen to God, think and vote. Regardless of the outcome, our King is Jesus and we are citizens first and foremost of the kingdom of God. He is our hope, not America, not a president and not a government.
Concerning the United States, no matter who is elected, the nation will fracture more deeply that it already has. In 2010-11 I wrote in VISIONS OF THE COMING DAYS that our centered consciousness of ourselves as a nation would shatter. It has. I’m not saying that the states will dissolve the union. I’m saying that the divisions will deepen and the hatreds will grow. I fear an increase in riots in the streets when the election results come in if it’s Trump. I fear other forms of violence from the radical right if Hillary is elected.
Christians must not participate in the divisions, but rather unite in prayer for our nation and for the peace of God to reign, even in differences of philosophy and opinion. We can speak the truth without fomenting hatred or sacrificing the call to love as Jesus loves. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). “Sons of God” is a Hebrew way of saying that they will be seen as like God in their character and impact upon the world. Don’t become part of tearing the nation apart. Christians must return good for evil, giving the gentle answer that turns away wrath, rather than speaking the harsh word that stirs up strife (Proverbs 15:1). It’s the only way to win!