November means it’s election time. Every year discussions come up in one way or another about how we should pray for the election as well as how we should vote. I have covered the “how to vote” as a Christian many times before (see specifically the November 2020 Newsletter), but this month’s Newsletter article will be devoted to “how to pray” for an election. All the same principles I have taught before on prayer also applies to elections. Here’s how:

If you are unsure how to pray, all prayer begins with the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, we don’t even need to pray any other prayer. It’s the perfect prayer because it’s the prayer our Lord Himself gave us. Besides being given by God, it’s also perfect because it covers everything we could possibly ask for or need, even though it does so generally. This is the beauty of it. So, for example, when the government seeks to create laws that permit its citizens to kill the unborn, we pray, “Thy will be done” and “Deliver us from evil.” Could we possibly think that God doesn’t know what we need when we pray these petitions? More on that below…

Another reason why the Lord’s Prayer is so beneficial is because it prevents us from being pietists about prayer. Prayer can have many deceiving notions attached to it. For example, some may think that if we just “pray enough” God will grant us the petition we asked for. Or, if we just get “specific enough” about a request that God will bestow it because we asked the right way. Or, if we just get enough people praying for the exact same thing that somehow the “numbers game” will cause God to pick “our side” instead of the other. This can also lead to guilt if we don’t pray particularly, thinking, “If I had just asked God specifically for this or that, He would have granted me it!” No, brothers and sisters. God knows exactly what you need even better than you yourself know!

Instead, by praying the Lord’s Prayer, we petition our Lord with exactly what He has commanded us to ask for. We, in turn, are required to trust that He will answer it according to His will and His time.

Consider each petition of the Lord’s Prayer as it pertains to elections. First, “Hallowed be thy name”. God’s name is holy even without our prayer, but we pray that we would keep His name holy among us also. How so in an election? We vote for candidates based on those who will support and enact God’s will. When we pray, “Thy will be done” we are praying that God would break and hinder every evil plan and purpose; that His will as revealed in His Word might be done among us. In these first two petitions, we are asking for the Lord’s guidance in how we vote, that we might think scripturally and that God would use the government to enforce His will.

In the 3rd petition, “Thy Kingdom come”, we are not only asking that Christ would come again and bring us to heaven, but equally as important that His kingdom of grace would come to us here and now. This is done through the means of grace in the Church. This means that in elections, we are praying that we would elect leaders who will support the Church, that Christ’s kingdom might come unhindered. For example, we pray that the Government would not intervene in how the Church operates or try to prevent us from assembling together around Word and Sacrament.

Similarly, in praying “Give us this day our daily bread” we are praying for all those 1st article of the Creed gifts that God gives without prayer! This includes, “devout husbands… wives… children… workers… devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace”, etc. (See the Small Catechism for the full list.)

Notice that Luther includes “devout rulers”, which could also be translated as “godly rulers.” While it would be convenient if all our leaders were Christians – and we pray they would be – it’s just as important that we pray they be “godly.” Godly is understood according to how Scripture uses the term: those who do God’s will according to their vocation. We pray a godly ruler – even if they aren’t themselves Christians – would be God’s agent who “[is] not a terror to good conduct, but to bad… For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Rom 13:3-4). Godly rulers will punish evil and praise/support good as the terms are defined by God’s Word even if they themselves are not Christians.

When we pray “Lead us not into temptation” this reminds us that we shouldn’t be led to despair if the election doesn’t “go our way.” God is still God. He is still in control. This petition asks God to lead us in the opposite direction of where our sinful flesh wants to go!

Finally, “Deliver us from evil.” I think this might be the most important petition. We do not know the future. Even if the most godly candidates were elected, neither they nor we have ultimate control on what happens in this world. The devil is still the prince of it, and he seeks to cause chaos wherever he can. This petition reminds us that we need God as our deliverer, and only He can actually deliver us from all evil. He can use our government or He could use someone else’s government. But we trust that He will deliver us.

Be good Christians as you head to the voting booth, and be good Christians in prayer. Pray the Lord’s Prayer before and after you vote, and continue doing so all the days of your life. God knows what you need, and He is faithful! In this way, while praying generally, you are also praying specifically.

In Christ, Pastor Hromowyk

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