Up All Night

So, I am here in my office praying without ceasing and writing this blog post.  Yes I can do both, as we are called to be in an always state of worship and communication with God. It is more of a constant attitude of living than an actual all the time on your knees.  Although, I will admit, that wouldn’t be half bad, but I don’t think I am that spiritual.

But tonight, I am praying and reading, praying and listening to music, praying and writing.  Our church is having a 24 Hours of Prayer for our nation, our leaders, and for the upcoming election.

We designated half hour increments where people could sign up and either come to the building to pray or to pray at home.  The idea was to have a continual prayer being lifted up to God for His will for our country.

I am pleased that we had twenty people sign up for this event.  And as you could guess, the majority of the time slots left empty were in the wee hours of the night and morning.  We do have, however someone in the 10:30pm-11:00pm and the 1:30am-2:00am slot taken.  And we start off bright and early beginning at 4:00am.

Left empty were about eight and a half hours in between those times.  Which is why you have me, here at the church, camped out to fill those times.  And that is why I am praying and writing.   I have my cot to rest, my music to contemplate, my reading to inspire, and my writing to inform.

This is an important time.  While I will concede that all elections are important, this one seems more so.  It is true that this one is about ideologies, it is about direction, it is about differences. 

This country is seemingly split right down the middle, with half of the people on one side and half on the other. And it is apparent that each side doesn’t like the other side at all.  And to me, it sort of looks like hate.

So what is a person to do?  What is the Christian to do? And specifically what am I, a Christian, to do?  Most candidates on each side talk about out good of a practicing “insert your faith here” they are, but seem to also discount certain views their faith may have for the sake of the party line.  And I am talking both sides.

But as Christians, we are told to be involved. We are to be an example of subjecting to government authorities (Romans 13:1).  We are to pay our taxes (Romans 13:6).  We are to render to all what is due them (Romans 13:7).  Okay, just read Romans 13 yourselves.  And so we are to participate and vote.  But for who?

All I can say is that you should, as a Christian, vote for those whose values and morals line up with the Bible.  And for those whose values line up with your own.  I know what mine are.  And that is how I vote.

But we are never called to hate, cast disparaging remarks, toss insults and disrespect.  Instead, we are to pray for our leaders.  And that is what our church is doing. And that is what I am doing. I am praying. And writing.