Do we bring the Kingdom in through our individual vote and by simply pulling a lever in a voting box? Well, not exactly. As I stated in my last post we have the privilege of participation in Christ’s reign. While God is completely sovereign, we are given the privilege of participation. This is why I get to vote, it is my privilege to let His Life influence my world through me. In America our governmental structure is a democratic republic, which means we have a say. As a citizen of this republic that God has sovereignly placed me in, I get to vote. What a blessing!. So does my single vote actually change my world? Let’s see.
My Vote, God’s Will
My individual vote is more about aligning my will in agreement with God’s Will, than electing the politicians I want. It is His to set up our leaders. The fact remains, we know Who is on the throne, and Who is over every power. (See Proverbs 8:15, Daniel 2:21, Romans 13:1-2, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-15) As a born-again child of God, I don’t go in to cast my vote, I represent His. I seek to bring in His choice not mine.
My vote is agreement with His reign in my world. So does that vote actually matter? Am I guaranteed that who I vote for will be elected? Not necessarily, but in this I am proclaiming that as far as me and my house we will serve the Lord. It matters in my heart and life when I proclaim Him Lord over my choice, will, and world. My vote is simply unifying my will to His Will as head of every government. And no matter who is elected, my actions bring the Will of heaven down to earth rather than telling heaven what we on earth want.
Again, the whole lot of everything is about my training to reign and rule. If I can’t even be faithful to issue His edicts through my individual vote, how can I be entrusted with the weightier decrees of the Kingdom. Each of us are being prepared for His Heavenly Kingdom. We learn how God rules as we function in and under authority. We live in a legal universe and as I have written in the past, the Lord set this earth up under the principle of authority and government. Why? Because I am to learn to reign and rule, now!
My All and Only
This morning as I was writing this post Joan brought me an excerpt from All and Only by Martha. It hit the nail on the head! I felt it was a perfect conclusion to this post.
Though God is sovereign, having unchallenged dominion, He limits His involvement to our invitation.
Many, so tragically many, of God’s purposes fall to the ground. Things are not always as He would perfectly have them. But that is not His fault – it is ours. We are given the most incredible responsibility – that of changing the world through prayer, not by our “fixing,” not by our ruling, but by the opposite, being involved in only one power – His! And that great dynamic obtained through prayer to watch Him intervene in man’s futility. God has given man the chance to have power over events.
Only for the sustaining of His will, only that! Not independent power, not for man to decide, to rule, to ‘be.’
Humanity is meant to be the very instrument of God’s own sovereignty.
Authority of the Kingdom
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, or to governors as those sent by him to punish evildoers and praise well-doers. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.
1 Peter 2:13-15
Every Christian ought to obey the civil authorities, for all legitimate authority is derived from God’s authority, and the existing authority is appointed under God. To oppose authority then is to oppose God, and such opposition is bound to be punished. Romans 13:1-2 Phillips
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Matthew 28:18 NIV
We vote a pro life ballot. In our little county that usually means Republican but occasionally a Democratic candidate who is pro life is on the ballot…then we look more closely at the 2 candidates. We always think that the right to life is the most elementary principal and if a candidate can’t get that right he/she has missed the boat. It sounds narrow even to some Christian’s these days but I can’t go any other way and I can’t imagine Jesus feeling any different about the life of an unborn child.
It is all about listening to His Voice and leading. Fortunately He can guide us through this maze. Bless you Deborah!