Troublesome Topic: HOW DOES GOD WANT US TO PRAY ABOUT POLITICS?

This lesson will make more sense if you have read the lessons about prayer that lead up to it.

First of all, praying about politics is asking for favors since God has not obliged Himself to intervene and directly control political activities or outcomes. God is interested in the spiritual condition of each heart, and He can use friendly or harsh political environments to help people grow.

Secondly, remember that asking for favors can be risky. Even if God answers our request for a favor, He may do so differently than we desire because usually our desire is for comfort or ease, and His desire is for growth. This is especially true in the area of politics; the likelihood of our “prayers” simply kicking the can down the road seems very high in this arena.

SHOULD WE SEEK TO CONTROL THE OUTCOME?

We are very interested in controlling the outcome or result of political things like elections. So we ask God to help our cause, which we assume is His cause.

But prayer is not about us receiving the outcomes or results we desire. True prayer is about seeking God’s glory and growing closer to Him in the process. We should let God be God; we should not try to control the outcome of anything by begging God to do what we want. Asking for favors is risky because it does not change God’s purpose, it can only influence the means and timing God chooses to execute His plan.

For instance, if God sees that the Christ-followers of a certain nation have gotten soft, weak, self-centered and worldly, He may choose to send some form of persecution (there are many forms) to wake them up to their anemic spiritual condition. If those followers ask God for the favor of intervening to cause the elections to go the way they want them to in order to avoid persecution, what do you think God will do? He has already determined that persecution is what they need. Will He change his mind because they asked Him to? I think not.

There are different forms of persecution – not all of them are caused by governments. My study of chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation show how the letters to the churches represented various types of persecution that believers were enduring at that time. The fact that there were seven types pointed to all types of persecution, even ones that were not specifically mentioned in those letters. Some types of persecution are directly from government, others are from other sources with the government looking the other way, and some do not involve the government at all. Therefore, if we want to avoid persecution, and we pray for God to help us elect the leader we think would keep persecution from coming, it might come anyway, just from another source.

The only thing that can prevent persecution from coming to a nation for which God has determined it to be necessary is if the Christ-followers in that nation change their actions and their attitudes. It is not about what we ask for but how we act. If we allow God to bring revival to His True Church and allow Him to start that revival in us, that is capable of causing God to decide that we no longer need persecution to get us back on track with Him. If we wake up to reality, He will not need to take drastic action to wake us up. If the True Church is revived, it is more likely that the culture around it will be transformed.

Now let me apply this principle to abortion. I belief God is against the act of abortion, and every abortion causes His heart pain. However, the presence of abortion in a given society is not a reality because God failed to intervene, but most likely because the Christ-followers of that society have allowed it to become a reality. Yes, much of the blame goes to the power-hungry, self-centered leaders at the top, but we all share responsibility here. God will not intervene to do our job for us. Our job is to be salt and light to those around us, influencing those we have contact with. Abortion is a reality in our world largely because we have not been the salt and light that we should have been to the people we know. With the percentage of Christ-followers our country enjoyed up until recently, we should have been able to influence our culture more than we have; abortion should never have become as popular as it is today. God is letting us suffer the consequences of inaction in our relationships. This battle is not so much a political battle but a moral and spiritual battle in which victory comes one soul at a time. We have erred in making abortion mostly a political issue.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Consider a situation where Dad and Mom have threatened to take video games away from a child because he is not focusing attention on his school work. The most sure way to change their minds is for the child himself to decide he needs to spend less time playing video games and focus more time on his homework. It is a change in action that will change the parent’s minds, not begging.

Another way to express this principle is to say that praying for politics is like praying for fair weather. There are ramifications to the request for fair weather that one usually does not consider at first. Usually, the farmers are praying for rain while others are praying for fair weather so they can enjoy their kids’ game, a picnic, or a parade, etc. The non-farmers are not thinking long-term, but only about themselves and their specific desires for that day. If God answered the requests of the majority, there would not be enough rain for the crops, and our food supply would suffer greatly. The long-term ramifications of the favors Christians ask from God regarding politics are that it is easy to call oneself a Christian and we don’t grow as much when things are easy. Hard times are not enjoyable, so no one asks God for them, but they are important for developing things like strong faith, deep commitment and a bold witness.

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY FOR ELECTIONS?

Do not ask that the outcomes or results of elections be what you want them to be. Instead, pray for things you know God wants to answer, things that He has obliged Himself to answer. Always pray for God to be glorified no matter what the circumstances. Pray that the church will become more like what God wants it to be. Pray that God’s kingdom (His rule over the hearts of men) will govern more and more hearts. Pray for your part in the expansion of His kingdom one heart at a time. Pray by name for people you know who claim the name of Jesus but need to get more serious about following Him. Pray by name for God to draw people you know toward a relationship with Him.

Our prayers should not be focused on politics, but on issues that are much higher than politics.

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY FOR A PRESIDENT OR LEADER?

Do not pray for him to be successful in a political sense, or for victory over his political opponents. Instead, pray that he would seek more of God each day and draw closer to God each day, that he would seek and rely on God’s wisdom, not his own; that he would allow God’s spirit to check what he intends to say or do.

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY ABOUT ATTEMPTS AT REFORMING A NATION?

We place way too much importance on politics. It is true that evil political leaders can cause great harm to a nation, but it is not true that good political leader are the key to reform. While a good leader is helpful, a reform movement needs much more than just the right leader.

Do not pray for the outcomes or results you want politically on a general level; pray for the results God wants on a personal, heart level.

Pray for God to receive glory in every situation, including difficult ones like political reform. Pray that many people would seek Him.

Pray that all true followers of Jesus will become more like the Church He wants us to be.

Pray for revival and be willing for God to start by shining a spotlight on aspects of your life that He wants to change. Then be willing to do your part to make those changes a reality.

The next lesson is WHY PRAYING IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO