What voting (or not) can reveal about your prayer life
Think of a small baby’s cry and it’s power to effect change. Your small cry matters too. Your small cry effects change.
So I’m here to shoot straight with you— Friends don’t let friends not vote! 🙂 And friends don’t let friends give up on prayer either!
Here’s the deal. If you don’t think your vote matters, then you probably don’t think your prayers really matter either.
Trust me! I know what it is like to be so rock-bottom that you finally stop believing God even hears your prayers. I know what it is like to feel so hopeless that all you sense is impending doom. I can’t tell you how many times the world has ended in my head. But I can tell you that I don’t have doomsday in my mind anymore. I can tell you that even in civil unrest and troubling dreams, I have peace. You will too. If not today, take heart! It is coming.
Because the more we learn to trust God in little things, the more we can depend on Him with big things.
I want to challenge you today to not miss the chance to speak out into the atmosphere with a little black or blue pen filling in little bubbles on a page. Believe that your one little voice matters.
I want to challenge you today to not miss the chance to speak out into the atmosphere with your voice and a prayer. Believe that your one little voice matters.
Sometimes, we give up before we begin (whether it’s voting OR praying) just because we think it won’t change the outcome. But here’s what I can tell you. It will 100% change you. And that will 100% change the outcome!
Yes, it’s possible your story will be like Jesus in the garden and “this cup” cannot be taken from you. But He still prayed. Why? Because it brought Jesus’ soul into alignment with His Father. “Not my will but yours be done.” And in doing so, He saved all mankind! In the end, He did have the final say and victory! It just was a hard road getting there (#understatement of the year).
But it’s also possible your story will be like Daniels. Or Esther’s. She already determined, “If I die, I die” before she petitioned the king. So she already died to self through her prayers, like Christ. And in doing so, the lives of her people and herself were spared.
Our prayers big and small matter.
The more we learn to trust God in little things, the more we can depend on Him with big things.
So, today… Think of one small thing you need and ask for it. One very small thing. If you don’t believe that God cares about your prayer because it’s for just some “silly ole’ thing” on your heart, then how can you trust Him with your children’s education system, the government and politics, and the economy. Like I wanted a new necklace for my birthday and asked God for one. It was a silly ole’ thing. It was non-consequential. And guess what my parents sent me for my birthday? I don’t think they’ve ever given me a necklace before for a birthday! And this one is inscribed with “Jeremiah 29:11!” The very thing I need tied around my neck like love and faithfulness! I’m not talking pie-in-the-sky genie-in-a-bottle type praying here. No. But I am saying, BELIEVE THAT GOD CARES ABOUT YOUR LITTLE DESIRES JUST AS MUCH AS YOUR BIG ONES. I believe He desired to give me a special necklace for my birthday this year, to give me hope for my future. And I believe He was with me, inspiring that prayer for a silly little request.
Today, start with that little thing like:
So pray and vote. Vote and pray. And I pray that this week, the Lord reveals Himself to you as He did me… “I am the God who hears you.”
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
1 John 5:14 (ESV)
VOTING RESOURCES:
I know it’s totally overwhelming when you look at that ballot. And the wording can seem tricky and loop-hole-ish sometimes. Some churches offer helpful voter guides. But if you can’t find any, just a quick online search will give you lots of help. I used keywords like:
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Family voters guide, OR
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Christian voters guide
PLUS
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the name of my county or state, OR
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the name of a judge or official
It took a little digging and prayer, but I feel good about what I was able to find.
If you’re not sure about a justice or a judge, look up who appointed that judge. Is it someone you trust? If so, then I decided to trust their judge appointee also.
You can also ask someone you trust for advice. That’s allowed, people! Seek wisdom and you will find it!
YOUR TURN TO RESPOND:
So my friend.
#1) What do you need to reschedule in order to make voting a priority?
#2) What’s the one little (or big) thing you feel nudged to be brave enough to ask for? We’ll join you in that prayer!