My Prayer after the Mid-term Elections

Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises…
before Yahweh,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98:4, 9

I happened to read these ancient words the day after the 2022 mid-term elections, when we Americans have chosen the men and women to lead and represent us. And the juxtaposition of those words and our election set me to thinking.

No one seriously imagines that we should expect much to change as a result of this election, even though we were told (as always) that this election was “the most important election in our lifetime.”

So, yes, there’s a certain amount of cynicism involved; for some, so much cynicism that they don’t bother to vote. After all, how can we expect greater wisdom and virtue from our leaders than we ourselves possess? They are made of the same stuff as we are, and we know ourselves too well to expect much from our leaders.

So why vote at all?

We vote out of love for our neighbor.

We know that no one can do what only God can do – make all things right. But some people are wiser and more virtuous than others, and we should do all we can – for the sake of our neighbor and for our own sake – to see that the best possible people are in positions of power and influence.

But our times are so polarized: even if our leaders were all men and women of exceptional integrity and wisdom, we know that our nation is deeply divided by two starkly different visions of what kind of society America should be. So even if our leaders were far wiser than we are, they would surely be at an impasse, unable to enact any real change.

Again, the cynicism.

But the psalmist points forward to a Day when God Himself will come to set all things right.

This week we voted to give authority to some and deny it to others. The Day will come when He will take all authority from men and finally exercise His own authority “with righteousness… and equity.”

No exceptions for the wealthy and well-connected (good news) but also no exceptions for me (bad news).

So I regard the prospect of His Return with mixed emotions: I understand that the best we can hope for from our leaders is not long-term solutions but only some sort of short-term management. I understand that only He can make things right. So I yearn for His Return.

But when He comes to make things right, He will not play favorites. The whole world – including me – will wither under His judgment.

And this is why I find my hope, my only hope, in the Gospel: Jesus, the Judge of all the earth, is also the One who died for my sins, in my place.

Through no virtue or merit of my own, I can look forward to His Return and His great rectifying action.

So my prayer after the elections is simple and two-fold:

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

And have mercy on me, a sinner.

Persevere,      Paul Pyle Discipleship Pastor