Election meditations
Meditations for Election Week
Seven days from now we will know whom the people of the United States elected to be our 47th president. I’ve participated in local, state, and national elections as a voter for 45 years and every time election season comes around, it’s an opportunity to love and grow, and especially among people of faith.
I attend an incredibly, miraculously, beautifully diverse local church and things like politics have threatened to divide us. But we remain committed as a body of Jesus followers to stay the course, and not allow anything to ruin what has so carefully been built for decades.
This year, I feel compelled to do two things ahead of next Tuesday, November 5, 2024:
Resist the urge to read the news, watch YouTube videos, or engage in social media posts about the election.
Meditate on God’s word, on specific ideas from the book of Philippians about unity. Below is a daily meditation to guide me through the next seven days.
Philippians 4:1-9 (NIV)
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Wednesday - “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel…” Paul clearly valued unity in the church. No one knows what the conflict was between these ladies, but they were women who had served Jesus and spread His message alongside Paul himself! They both loved Jesus. Paul is urging them to be unified, to put aside their differences for the cause of Christ. He is encouraging their fellow church members to work toward this goal as well.
What if Euodia was a Donald Trump supporter and Syntyche was a Kamala Harris fan? Are there people in my congregation that I disagree with politically? How can I work toward unity with all my fellow parishioners, worshipping, serving, fellowshiping, studying the Bible, and praying together in the midst of this environment? What active steps can I take to express unity to someone today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I struggle with ______________ because we differ in our political views. Help me to keep my love for you and your Body, my fellow believers, as the highest priority. Help me to recognize that divisive things like politics, are not more valued than our common love for You. I pray for the person I just mentioned, that You will bless them in every way. Give me the ability to build unity by expressing love to them today. Thank you for your grace toward me, as I surely am not perfect in my opinions either. I will extend that same grace to someone else today. Amen.
Thursday: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” What do I rejoice in? Paul is emphatic here, telling us twice to celebrate the Lord Jesus alone. It is easy to rejoice when our “team” wins, and it’s innocuous enough when it’s a sports team. But we have let tribalism take root in our American society, and it has crept into the church. And a political candidate cannot replace God, cannot heal society, cannot bring unity, cannot cure the problems our world faces. But God can.
What can I rejoice in the Lord about today? He is good, He is kind, He is all-powerful, He sees even the smallest bird, He holds everything together by the power of His word, He made a way for us to be reconciled to God from our sinful state of separation from Him, He created the universe, He loves me. And He loves the whole world. What else can you rejoice about?
Prayer: Lord, I ask You for a heart of rejoicing. When I am tempted to look at the division here and now, I ask that you will remind me to look at You, at all of these things that I have mentioned, at Your greatness, and rejoice. Will you help me today to find joy in who You are, what You have done, and how You love the world? Amen.
Friday: “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. That’s great! He sent His Holy Spirit to be our companion, comforter, encourager, to give wisdom, and to strengthen us for every good work. If Jesus is near, then He is present in every action, conversation, and thought I have. Paul is reminding me here that Jesus sees when I am gentle and when I am not. He also writes in Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Jesus, the Lamb of God was meek, gentle, and “lowly of heart.” (Matthew 11:29 NIV)
What does gentleness look like in my life? How can I express gentleness in my speech today, especially with someone I disagree with about politics specifically? As I am interacting with the people in my community, particularly among my church family and my natural family, where can they see gentleness in me? Do I consider others more highly than myself? Do I think I can learn from someone I disagree with?
Prayer: Gentle Jesus, help me to follow Your example of kindness and meekness. Help me to remember your patience with me, and give me grace to extend that to others. I open my heart to Your work of gentleness, humbleness, and meekness in me today. I want to learn from others and grow. Amen.
Saturday: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We can be full of anxiety around election time. The news, social media, and even conversations we hear or participate in can be full of reasons why we should be worried about the days ahead. Candidates love to perpetuate these fears and then offer us a reason why they are the best person to tackle them. They want us to put our hope in them. But Paul in imploring us to turn those fears into thankful prayers. When we hear that some calamity is upon us, real or imagined, we must “take that thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV) and lift our hearts and minds to God. He will hear and replace the anxiety with peace. His peace will guard us, even if it doesn’t make sense when the problems are very real.
What am I anxious about leading up to this week’s election? I name it now. _________________________________________________
Am I letting Jesus into these places of fear? Do I take my thoughts captive or indulge them with more thoughts, research, engagement in social media, the news, or negative conversations? Do I need to take a break from the internet for a few days?
Prayer: God of peace, I invite you to replace my fear with prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving. Every time I feel my mind wandering to these dark places, I commit to taking that thought captive. Will you be near me, and hear my prayers and bring peace to my soul?
Sunday: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” It is so easy to vilify those who see political parties or candidates differently than I do. It is also easy to reduce people to an idealogy (she’s a ___________), and we can do it with those we are close to, our neighbors, friends, family. Paul is telling the church folk of Philippi to focus instead on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy in each other. Again, he is imploring the Christians in this church to take control of their thought life.
When I think of ___________________, I often think about the things we disagree on and I pass judgement on them, “thinking of myself more highly than I ought.” (Romans 12:3 NIV) Do I overlook or intentionally not see the good things God has poured into them? Have I become myopic, only seeing their politics and not the beauty in them? Can I commit today to think on the lovely and pure Christ-like qualities in this person? Can I send them a text message thanking God for these things?
Prayer: Lord of the universe, you see my heart and know my every thought. Help me to meditate on the good things in my friends and family first, and then on those around me, and even on the candidates I don’t know personally. I give you thanks for the _______________ I see in ____________________. Help me to think on myself with sober judgement, and extend grace to those around me.
Monday: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” Paul is encouraging the Philippian Christians to follow his example in the things he has just written about: unity, reconciliation, rejoicing, gentleness, resisting fear, finding peace, thankfulness, prayer, and meditation on the good things in others. We can adopt this mindset as well, to live our lives in such a way that others can and should follow our lead.
Do I conduct myself in such a way that others will want to be like me? Am I an influencer for good? Are there any adjustments that need to be made in how I present myself on social media or in person? What do others probably say about me, that I am a peacemaker or that I am one who causes division?
Prayer: Thank you Lord for setting the perfect example in Jesus, and for giving me others to follow that are like You. I want to be that kind of person as well. Will you help me to practice the ways of a peacemaker? I invite You to guide my thoughts, speech, and actions to reflect the love of Jesus to others. I commit today to reject the urge to engage in divisive conversation. Help me to bring hope to a dying world through how I live my life. Amen.
Tuesday: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends…And the God of peace will be with you.” Today, as my fellow Americans decide who our next president will be, I am encouraged that God’s peace is right there with me. I want to meditate on His peace all day today, no matter the outcome of the election. His peaceful presence is a sure thing, and I can count on it at all times. His peace is an anchor in any storm. He does not promise me that there will not be storms, but He does promise His peace in the midst of them. I am leaning on that peace today, keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus.
Examining my heart and mind carefully, do I predict that I will be more or less at peace depending on the outcome of today’s election? If the answer is ‘yes,’ am I willing to turn my hopes to the God who is in control, even over things like presidential elections? Do I feel more confident in God after meditating on His word this week? Can I carry these lessons with me beyond this week?
Prayer: King of the universe, I look to you for my hope and my peace. You are my anchor in the storm. You are the true Savior of the world. I place my future, and the future of my country in Your hands afresh today. May Your Kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. I pray for my brothers and sisters in the faith, that we will truly be worthy of the joy and crown Paul speaks of, standing firm in the ways of peace and unity. I pray for my leaders that they will humble themselves before You and look to You for guidance as they lead our government. Thank you for taking care of all of us. Amen.