Why Shouldn’t I Vote3 min read

Tola’s Thoughts On Faith & Life

During my meditation yesterday, I spent time thinking about one verse from the Bible

The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.

Daniel 4:17

It got me thinking

If God decides everything about who gets to hold a political office, will my voting or not voting change anything?

God is all powerful why should whether little me votes or not matter?

I did a bit of thinking and came to some half-way conclusions.

I may know the end of a matter but I don’t always know how the story builds up to the end

I know God controls whatever outcome shows up but I don’t know how He will create the outcome.

Going out to vote is the way I choose to be part of a process that may lead to the outcome He wants – it does not always guarantee that it will bring out the outcome He wants.

I also wish I could say that I have a way of knowing who His choice is when I go to vote.

But since I cannot always claim to know that. I can do the next best thing – VOTE ACCORDING TO MY VIEW OF WHAT IS GOOD.

This means that I may disagree with friends but we can disagree without being disagreeable.

It also means that we cannot be sure of which candidate has the silver bullet.

My support for a candidate must not be blind to whatever flaws exist in his position.

I also will not vote for a candidate because he has the best chance of winning but rather because I believe he brings the most good to the table.

He does not have to be a Christian – I can side a non-christian over a Christian if I think he brings the most good to the table and more competent.

There is no candidate that can deliver a heavenly utopia on this side of heaven so my choice is not a matter of life or death. It is just my perception of the greater good at the moment.

I bet the Prophet Jeremiah must have got a really bad rap for supporting the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar over his people, the Israelites.

He saw Nebuchadnezzar as representing the greater good at that moment – but he was not blind to the evil in them and the punishment that would come their way later on.(Jeremiah 50)

So, I choose to go out and vote for a candidate of my choice not because he is a Christian or comes from Timbuktu.

It’s just my view. I will act based on it.

God will continue to give political power to anyone He chooses

If my candidate does not win, I choose to believe that God has given it to the other guy because he is God’s choice.

I will respect him and offer him everything required as part of my Christian duty.

He was put there by God – even if my vote did not put him there.

God rules in the affairs of men.