Time to Vote!

IT’S NEARLY TIME TO VOTE!

Earlier, I posted something to encourage us to pray for our nation. I now want to add that, as part of our prayer, that we ask God for guidance in how we should vote!

In a few short weeks, we will have the privilege, and the duty, to vote.  We will have the opportunity to select not only the next President of the United States, but also members of Congress, Governors and other elected officials who will then exercise their responsibility to govern.  As citizens, this is our opportunity to influence the course of our nation.  It’s an awesome privilege that is loaded with great responsibility! We must choose wisely!  So how do we choose wisely?

 When President Joe Biden made the decision to withdraw from the race, the campaign had to make a hard sharp turn and into the “void”, Vice President Kamala Harris has eagerly leaped.

You and I, along with everyone else that makes up the electorate, will be faced between choosing between a former President,  a “conservative” with some very obvious flaws, and a sitting Vice President, a “liberal”, also with obvious flaws.  Our task will be to decide which of these two, with their starkly opposing views on just about everything, will be the best choice to serve the needs of our nation.

And what, exactly, does the electorate consider to be the most pressing needs of our nation?  A “short list” would certainly include some of these obvious concerns:

The economy.  Inflation, cost of healthcare, cost of groceries, cost of gas, can I afford to buy a house, government spending, taxes…the list goes on!

Immigration – Look at our wide-open southern border.  How many million undocumented, unidentified, unquestioned people have flooded into our nation through this open door?  Doubtless, many of these are simply fleeing the desperation and life-threatening conditions in their native country, seeking freedom and “the American Dream”.  But how many others, also countless, are taking advantage of the unlocked door to enter our country for nefarious reasons, coming to “steal, kill and destroy”?

America as a world leader. I must agree with those who hold the opinion that America has lost its long-held position of being a world-class leader, a world influencer.  To gain back that position will require strong, no-nonsense, purpose-driven leadership in foreign affairs. We want a leader who recognizes the critical role is to influence international politics towards peace and prosperity, one that is willing to make the tough decisions, willing to do all that can be done to thwart the dangerous and destructive threats to the peace and prosperity of the “free world”.  We need leadership that isn’t afraid to stand up to the “bullies”, those who are driven to destroy everything that the “free world” holds dear.  China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are eager to take advantage of America’s weak leadership, leadership that seems to want to appease rather than challenge.  If know world history, you will know that this is the type of leadership in Great Britain that allowed Hitler’s Germany to plunge the world into a costly and deadly world war.

What about Israel?  Wake up America!  Israel is our most important, most loyal and strongest ally in the entire middle East!  To protect ourselves, and the rest of western civilization, we must support and protect Israel – physically, financially and prayerfully.  It faces, once again, enemies who are dedicated to its total annihilation!  Leadership in America must recognize and deal with this fact.  And what about those in our nation that Netanyahu termed “Iran’s useful idiots”?  How has our college campuses become a petri dish for growing dissidents that mock American values and support our deadly enemies, enemies of this nation and of the nation and people of Israe?  We need to stand solidly with the Jews because they are God’s uniquely chosen people. It is hard to hear and harder to obey Jesus’ words to “love and pray for our enemies”, especially when these are enemies already within our borders!  But that is exactly what we need to do!

Abortion   What position do the candidates hold regarding abortion?  Do they believe that abortion is strictly a woman’s health issue?  Does that mean that unwanted pregnancy is a “disease” and that an unborn baby is a “tumor” simply to be removed?  There is a widely accepted statement that “modern abortion is one of the safest procedures in medicine”.  Perhaps this is true as it relates to the physical procedure performed.  However, it fails completely to meet the test of truth.  Advocates don’t want to accurately discuss or describe what is happening to the unborn human being whose life is so brutally taken before it can even breathe!  How many babies have been killed over the past decades, since Roe v Wade was transformed into national law? The National Right to Life declares that over 63 million babies have been aborted since 1973!  Acceptability of abortion is the product of believing the great lie of when life actually begins.  How long do you think God will tolerate this egregious sin before He drops His judgement upon our nation?  Pray for women who are considering abortion so that God will open their eyes to His love, grace and mercy, His willingness, His eagerness to give the help that these desperate women so badly need.

Crime  What about crime?  Lawlessness is rampant and is spreading.   Its damage and destruction without the concern for the consequences, to both the victim and to the perpetrator.  We are becoming frustrated and disillusioned, not only by its increase but also by the apparent lackadaisical attitude of government, and its failure to deal effectively with the lawbreaker.

Faith  What about faith?  What about freedom?  What about family?  Weren’t these the foundational tenants upon which our nation was created, strengthened, and truly blessed?  Where do the candidates stand on these issues?  Where do their political parties stand?  Maybe they have sound bites about freedom but do they ignore, or derogate faith and family? Look at what the Governor of California did.  He signed into law an act that bars school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change.   This is a clear declaration that it is no longer “in God we trust” but it is now “in the State that we trust”!  Unless we can change things with our vote and our voice, this is just an example of what we can look forward to, that it is the State that knows what’s  best for our children.

Lord Jesus, give us wisdom and understanding and the revelation knowledge of how to vote for the good of our nation.