There is something that praying and voting have in common that you may not have thought about.
"Our father who art in heaven", whose hallowed name is YHWH, has a plan for this world and NOTHING will interfere with the timing or the results. Therefore, if we pray with the best of intentions for something that would hinder his plans then he will NOT grant what we ask. Hallelu Yah!
We were created in the image of God, and among many traits, we were given something called free will. An entire church can pray without ceasing for the salvation of an individual but if that person in the end chooses against God then God will NOT "save" that person. True, we can pray for circumstances that would help bring a person to belief and repentance but ultimately the choice remains with the person. Sorry John Calvin, but no soul has ever been created predestined to be sent to heaven or hades without a choice.
How do we know all this?
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
And yet, Jesus said that "the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." – Matthew 7:14 (NAS)
So what’s the use of praying? Praying can change circumstances and help people to see the truth, but we forget that an important benefit of prayer is to the person who does the praying. The act of praying can do us more good than that which we are praying for!
That is the heart of the meaning behind this awesome and timely verse. I offer it here in two versions:
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. – Luke 21:36 (KJV)
Additionally, watch, praying at all opportunities, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are about to occur and to stand before the Son of man. – Luke 21:36 (Tom’s Literal Version)
Praying "Lord account me worthy, Lord account me worthy…" over and over is not what is meant here. Matthew 6:7 tells us we should not do this. Instead it is that we are to watch and pray as we ought to pray at every opportunity – thereby making us worthy!
And that leads me to voting.
No matter how you vote, you will not change God’s plan! Whether for blessing or for judgment, he will see to it that the person in public office is the "correct" choice for his purposes and timing. Burning this truth into your soul will take a great weight off your shoulders!
So what’s the use of voting? Like praying, voting is as much for our good as the outcome of the election. It is a private decision that reflects our heart. You can take comfort that even if you mistakenly vote for the wrong person that God will have his way. But… you should take pause to think that we may be held accountable for how we vote. My friends, think carefully on this.
My personal stand and opinion:
I was going to end this writing with the paragraph above but I decided that ending it there was more cowardice of omission than virtue of silence. I must walk the talk.
And YES, the political "Elephant" and "Ass" that are running for POTUS have both solidly proven themselves to be on the evil side of these and other important issues. This is not my opinion, but fact that can found in the public record.
I will not vote for evil – or the lesser of two! If a terrorist enters my house at gunpoint and tells me to choose which one of my family members will die, I will NOT choose no matter what the outcome. The evil choices of people will fall on their head, not mine.
The often quoted axiom that not voting for "the lesser of two evils" is just a vote for the greater evil may be a statistical truth, but it is a spiritual lie designed to get us to compromise with evil.
I am not one of those persons who advocates nonparticipation in civic affairs. I am going to vote for other offices and ballot initiatives. But there is not one person at the top of the ballot to whom I can give my permission to work their deeds.
My state allows write-ins only for "approved" candidates so they have again restricted my choice to the lesser of X number of evils. All this leaves me with just two choices. I can write-in a qualified, but not approved person, or I can leave it blank – the official end result will be the same (I will probably do the first).
But that’s OK because I know the "man" who always casts the deciding vote and I know that my vote will be recorded in heaven as being for righteousness.