Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6 NIV)
I’ve been thinking for a few weeks that I want to vote for people who are competent.*
I don’t care whether or not they have a “y” chromosome.
I don’t care how dark or light their skin pigment is.
I don’t care what college they graduated from or other credentials they claim to have.
I want them to have the skills, knowledge, wisdom, and other needed abilities to get their job done correctly.
I want them to be able to work efficiently, follow directions, fully complete their duties, and work well with others.
I want them to be competent.
I know that Jesus didn’t choose the “competent” around him. Fishermen, tax collectors, ex-prostitutes, and the rest were not exactly the “cream of the crop.” But do you remember what happened when the disciples spent three years under the teachings and love of Jesus? They became competent in the ways of God. They learned Jesus’s KINGDOM principles and lived that out – even to the point of martyrdom – for the rest of their lives.
Ideally, I would love each person holding any and all local, state, and federal elected positions to have spent the time with Jesus, to know him, and to live out the Kingdom ideas that he taught. Imagine what our governance would be if every person in office operates from a place of righteousness, peace, and joy. Imagine if every person acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God. Imagine if every elected official was truly competent not only in the ways of God’s Kingdom, but also in the earthly skills needed to do the job! Imagine if each one could do their duties with excellence, efficiency, and in coordination with others.
Perhaps that will happen with this election cycle, perhaps not. But, as Christians we do have the right and responsibility to vote, and to pray for godly, righteous, Kingdom-principled men and women to be elected into office. So, we pray.
God,
Thank you for the rights and privileges of being citizens of your Kingdom and citizens of this world. Thank you for the relationship we each have with you so that we can grow in our knowledge, wisdom, and love. Thank you for the men and women you have called into elected office and for the opportunity to vote for them. We pray that this election cycle you would cause your people to vote, and to vote for the candidates that are competent in both earthly skills and knowledge and in your Kingdom principles. We pray that officials who walk in darkness will be replaced with those who walk in Light. We pray that faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness would be in their character. We pray they would be overflowing with love for fellow humans, for their community and state. We pray they love the Constitution they vow to uphold, and the nation it governs. We pray they will seek first your Kingdom’s righteousness, peace, and joy, and will act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. May your Church vote in this election according to your will and your ways, and may we continue to pray for these as they govern us, we ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 NIV)
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. (Romans 14:17-18 NIV)
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV)
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-9 NIV)
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NIV)
* (Don’t ask me how you would actually judge the competency of every person on the ballot. I don’t know. I’m just praying it, because, while in the natural world deciding whether each individual has competency seems impossible, in the Spirit world all things are possible.)