Commit to Vote 2012

I'm not sure how many people remember this, but I bet if you don't it's simply because you weren't born yet or too young to be interested in that sort of thing. This particular election is really the first one I can remember. I was in the 3rd grade, and we had an assignment to make campaign posters. I should have been from Minnesota or D.C. since I created one of only two Mondale/Ferraro campaign posters. I was obviously not with the rest of the nation. I had no clue about issues, but I was only 8 years old. I had some time before I could vote--time to figure out what I believed about the issues and more importantly to study what God's Word says about the issues.

Somehow (I really don't know why or how) I started listening to a conservative talk show host on the radio, and what he said was making sense to me. There were issues such as abortion that as a Christian I knew I needed to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I began thinking about people who said they were voting for their pocketbooks. Even though I don't agree with that reasoning for voting because I don't think the principles of keeping people in bondage by giving them handouts is going to work for the nation, I still think we'd better vote for those who most closely align them with our moral convictions and the principles God's word sets forth regardless of what we think the effects will be on our pocketbooks. We must trust God with our pocketbooks.

I've been reading Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. I'm reminded of the fact that no elected official can be our savior. There is only one who fits that bill, and his name is Jesus. According to Metaxas and Bonhoeffer, a true leader must know his limitations or he will pass over into the mis-leader. He must lead others to accept their responsibility and to the authority of orders and offices, not the authority of himself. "He must radically refuse to become the appeal, the idol, i.e. the ultimate authority of those whom he leads." He must keep in his place and be controlled, ordered, and restricted. Some things never change. Here's a final thought from Bonhoeffer: "The fearful danger of the present time is that above the cry for authority, be it of a Leader or of an office, we forget that man stands alone before the ultimate authority and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal laws and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him. The eternal law that the individual stands alone before God takes fearful vengeance where it is attacked and distorted. Thus the Leader points to the office, but Leader and office together point to the final authority itself, before which Reich or state are penultimate authorities. Leaders or offices which set themselves up as gods mock God and the individual who stands alone before him, and must perish."

Although I've heard so many people say that someone has already won the election, please don't lose heart. Education can be very powerful, and presenting people with the facts can change heart and minds. And most of all we need to pray. Rusty and I are participating in the 40 days of prayer and fasting. Will you consider doing it too? Although the person we elect will not save us from our present crisis, we still need to vote for people who will defend the unborn and the values that are set forth in the Bible. Be informed, and vote! And may there be a revival among God's people and his churches so that we can have an impact and turn this world upside down.