With all that is going on in the United States, you would be hard-pressed to find a person who does not have an opinion on [former] President Donald Trump and the Democrat nominee Kamala Harris and the moral consequences of voting for one or the other or neither. No matter what you do or say you make enemies. As sad as it is, this pattern of political division is present among believers just as much as it is among non-believers. So what are believers to do in light of all that is happening? Who, if anyone, should you as a believer vote for?
The answer is simple yet revolutionary: Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and show you who you should vote for.
Praying to know God’s will about your vote raises at least several questions:
“Shouldn’t I vote based on principle?”
“I have free will, what right does God have to my vote?”
“Does God actually have a will for my vote?”
“If God’s will is going to be accomplished anyway, why should I seek God’s will for my vote and obey him?”
“What if I misunderstand and vote the wrong way?”
“What will people think?”
“How do I actually know what God’s will is?”
“What does it look like to put this revolutionary idea into practice?”
Note: This article does not need to be read from start to finish. However, it is recommended that you read the answers to the last two questions.
When this article was originally published in 2020, an objection was raised, saying that the thesis of this article discourages people from researching what is proposed on the ballot. To clarify and answer that objection, this thesis is not intended to discourage voters from researching what is on the ballot.
Believers should study and research to compare the candidate, proposition, or measure against the revealed Word of God. If God’s word clearly shows that a believer should vote for or against something, then the other points of confirmation of God’s will, discussed later in the article, should follow with relative ease.
Further, research may be impossible at some point due to a lack of available information, or regardless of how much research one does, it may be impossible to know how one should vote by relying on one’s own understanding. As highlighted in the introduction by comparing how people feel about Trump and Harris, the question of voting for one of the candidates has become a moral question that cannot be answered through any amount or level of factual research. Most importantly, research should always be submitted to God and never take the place of directly seeking the will of God when voting. Believers must be diligent stewards of what God has given us, but we must never rely on our understanding when God is so ready and able to guide us to do His will.
Shouldn’t I vote based on principle?
There are certain principles God will not violate. For example, God will never call a believer to vote for something that would prohibit the preaching of the gospel or mandate what God has revealed as sin against Him (Matthew 28:19–20, John 8:11, Romans 6:1–4, James 1:13–18 CSB). I believe that God would want us to vote in a way that brings about a government of integrity that honors God. However, when pressed for specifics, it becomes very difficult to determine each case. What happens if voting either way, or not voting, looks like it would be going against what we know about God? Apart from the wisdom of God, the specifics can very quickly go beyond our ability to know the right choice. When we get into the specifics, though some of your principles may be grounded in Scripture, most likely, your principles come from one or more worldly philosophies, be it capitalism, socialism, communism, liberalism, conservatism, and so on. Each of these systems was designed by fallen people and is imperfect, therefore we should go to God for the specifics.
I have free will. What right does God have to my vote?
When you consider your life, is there any area God does not have a right to? If you know God to be sovereign and the LORD of your life, the answer should be a simple “no.” God having the right to every part of us does not mean that we live fully submitted to God in practice, but it does mean we should desire to conform to His will in every area of life; this is the daily process of sanctification. There are at least two reasons God has a right to your vote, first and foremost because all creation belongs to and exists for Him (Deuteronomy 10:14, Hebrews 2:10). The second reason is that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, with the emphasis on Lord. Believers are the purchased property of God (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). He has full right to us, and as such, we are to submit to God (James 4:7). It is important to realize that free will is not a justification for doing what we want simply because we believed it was best. Free will merely makes us accountable to God for our actions and deserving of the consequences (Genesis 3, Romans 9:18–24).
Does God actually have a will for my vote?
The short answer to this is yes. God is Lord over all creation. He is Lord over every area of life, from the government to the economy, to the arts to the religious. There is no area which God is not Sovereign over and intimately involved with (Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6–8, 1 Chronicles 29:11–12, 2 Chronicles 20:6, Job 9:12, 12:6–10, Psalm 22:28, 33:4–19, 115:3, 135:5–7, Isaiah 14:24–27, 45:7, Acts 15:17–18, Ephesians 1:11).
To be clear, there are three levels of God’s will at work. The first level is God’s ultimate plan of redemption. We know this is the highest level of God’s will because the book of Revelation shows that God is patiently moving the course of all events to establish His eternal kingdom.
The second level is the outcome of the election; this level is knowable only by God but is revealed after the fact because God has put the leader in power. Our votes do not change God’s will on the second level. This does not mean we, as Christians, should be ambivalent about the outcome. It does mean that we should trust God’s will and the outcome should not be the primary focus for casting our votes. Specifically, in the case of leaders, we know that it is God who places them in power (Daniel 4:17, Romans 13:1–2, 1 Peter 2:13–17). If you question if God really places leaders in power, even bad leaders, then read Jesus’ words to Pilate: “‘You would have no authority over Me at all,’ Jesus answered him, ‘if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin’” (John 19:11).
The third level is God’s will for our participation in the election. Since God places our leaders in power, and we live in a country where our leaders are elected, it follows that God has a will for your part in the election process. The apostle Paul gives the example that we are to use our civil rights to glorify God (Acts 25:10–11, 28:16, 30–31). As Christians, our identity is in Christ before any earthly nation. We are subject to God before nations, but we obey the nations as long as they do not mandate disobedience to God because God has told us to obey our leaders. Therefore, we should participate in politics and elections as citizens of heaven first and our earthly country second. In all likelihood, many Christians will pray for wisdom in how to vote and vote in a way that is counter to how other Christians vote. Does this mean because some Christians voted for a candidate or proposition that lost, they did not follow God’s will, or God has contradicted himself? No, because the first level of God’s will resolves the seeming discrepancy between voting for the winner and voting for the loser. God uses all events for his redemptive plan, and what the enemy means for evil, God uses for his good purposes (Genesis 50:20, Job 1:1–2:10, 42:1–9).
If God’s will is going to be accomplished anyway, why should I seek God’s will for my vote and obey him?
As believers, we should seek to do God’s will in every area of life, including politics. True Christians love Christ and seek to obey God’s will without qualification (Psalm 119:129–136, John 14:19–24). While God’s will is accomplished no matter what, as we see throughout the book of Jonah and in each of the Gospels; we should desire to do the works which God ordained for us (2 Timothy 1:9–10). We should desire to obey God in everything, including how we vote, for His glory that others might be saved (1 Corinthians 10:31–33). Let me say it again: we should desire to obey God in everything, including how we vote, for his glory that others might be saved!
What if I misunderstand and vote the wrong way?
As written above, God’s will is going to be accomplished anyway. However, if you are genuinely seeking him and his will, God will not let you be led astray because his name is at stake (Psalm 23:3, Proverbs 3:5–6). (Reread: Does God actually have a will for my vote?)
What will people think?
Just as with anything for Christ, when you seek to live out and follow Christ in any area of life, you will have a wide range of responses.
1) You will be hated and attacked. People will think you are trying to force your beliefs on them. People will say that you cannot know the will of God and you are endangering others. People will say you are being irresponsible. You may lose friends and family over your vote. Some people will say you are ignoring the moral consequences. You will be personally blamed for everything they see as bad from the election.
2) People will ignore you. They won’t put much thought into what you have done or care much about it, taking an ambivalent attitude towards you.
3) Some people will see your humble submission in an area of life so full of pride, and God will use your obedience to bring them to faith in Christ.
How do I actually know what God’s will is?
One of the ways I have been blessed is by being a member of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) for nearly a decade now. Within the first few months of attending, I had a crisis. I needed to know what I was supposed to do. In God’s providence, BSF had a lesson that addressed the very issue of finding God’s will. As a result of applying the lesson, not only was I able to find and obey God’s will, but the memory of that one lesson has stayed with me since.
I will point out that even though the principles are presented in a particular order based on the events of Scripture, they are principles found throughout God’s word. This is not a way to force God to answer whatever you want to know. The principles are found in Genesis 24:9–27.
(Genesis 24:9–11) Have faith in God that He will guide you.
(Genesis 24:12–14)
- Let your prayer cover every aspect, the servant left no room for ambiguity in his prayer so he could be sure of the answer.
- Make your prayer specific, asking specifically for what you want God’s guidance on and for specific reasonable and discernible signs/evidence will help to confirm what God is guiding you to do. Note: This is not divining or just taking the sign/evidence at face value as God’s will. As believers, we must test everything against Scripture as the Bereans did (Acts 17:10–11)
- Be expectant in your prayer that God will answer, and be ready to act. When we are expectant, we reveal our faith. Note: You should not pray for guidance if you are not prepared to act on what you receive. Pray knowing full well that God will guide you, but when you doubt, you will receive nothing from God (James 1:6–7).
- Pray in Jesus’ name. While the servant prayed only knowing God the Father, now that Christ has been revealed we are to pray in Jesus’ name as He instructed us (John 14:13, 15:16)
(Genesis 24:15)
To discern God’s answer, look for:
- Circumstances that confirm your answer. In the situation concerning the servant the requested circumstances, God provided them promptly, if startlingly since the servant had not even finished praying.
- God’s basic principles. The circumstances were insufficient evidence, and there were specific stipulations based on what Abraham knew of God that the servant had to abide by in finding a wife for Isaac. Even if Rebekah heard the servant praying as she approached, she could not know what those stipulations were. In our context as believers, we have the revealed word of God in the Bible, both of who He is and what He expects of us. Because we have the word of God, we need to seek it out to test the circumstances that are present in response to our prayers.
Note: Scripture can be manipulated by our desires. Therefore, we must diligently search and study the scriptures to ensure God’s word means what we think it means. Two useful principles for scriptural interpretation are:
1) Use Scripture to interpret itself, meaning when the Bible says God is love, how is love defined elsewhere in Scripture, and is that interpretation consistent across Scripture?
2) Look at the context of verses. This can range from as little as the verse before and after to the chapters before and after, etc.
- Inward peace of heart. We see in the servant’s worship of God in 24:27 that he not only had deep peace about the answer but also made it publicly known by openly worshiping God that this was God’s doing. Whenever God guides us, we must give him the glory because he will not share it with anyone else (Isaiah 48:11).
Note: Circumstances by themselves are never enough because you may see only what you want to see to convince yourself of the answer. A sense of inner peace is never enough by itself because you may deceive yourself (Jeremiah 17:9). You must always have God’s word and character confirm your peace and circumstances. If you have all three you can be confident in moving forward. However, there may be many circumstances that block you but God’s word confirms, and you have peace, let God move the mountains. Another possibility is that the way is wide open, and God’s word says go, but you are afraid or lack peace, trust that God is bigger than your fears and He will bring His word to pass (Genesis 1:1–31, Ezekiel 12:25).
(Genesis 24:16–27)
When you receive the answer do not delay but take decisive action. Put God’s guidance into action. If God has guided you, start right away, waiting will allow you to second guess yourself and become complacent, be prepared for the doubts, and stand on God’s guidance. Time will demonstrate that you made the right choice.
While the Servant in Genesis 24:9–27 did not have the Holy Spirit, one of the key advantages common to all believers is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17, 1 Timothy 1:14), the third person of the Trinity (2 Corinthians 1:21–22). The Holy Spirit guides believers (Romans 8:14) and teaches us the will of God the Father (John 16:13–15, Romans 12:2). We know for certain that when we pray and ask God for wisdom, He will give us wisdom, as long as we fully expect His answer and not asking from selfish motives to gratify ourselves (James 1:5–8, 4:2–3).
What does it look like to put this revolutionary idea into practice?
Get a copy of your ballot so you know who is running for election and what measures are on the ballot. Pray not only for the big elections but for everything to be voted on; depending on your area, this can be a lot of work, so do not delay. If necessary, reregister to obey what God has said. You may need to re-register so you have access to the candidate God tells you to vote for. If you are doing a mail-in ballot, follow the rules and pray for God’s safe delivery of the ballot. If you are voting in person, it is time to follow through, take courage, and know that God has given you his perfect will, and now it is time to trust the results to God. Be ready to boldly tell of what you have done and why.
Here is what it is not: blaspheming God by claiming you are following God’s will when you substituted your will by either ignoring what God told you or not even asking God how you should vote. Do not tell people you are doing God’s will if you have not asked God what you should do or you are disobeying God’s will. It is not thinking your principles and values are God-given, and that’s good enough. It is not attempting to fix all of the world’s problems through a political vehicle, where only the gospel can make man right with God. Our responsibility is to obey faithfully. God is the one who will make all things right in the new heaven and new earth. It is not attacking others because they voted differently than how God told you to vote, as our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the Spiritual forces of darkness.
Finally, I will close with the apostle Peter’s words to the church: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:9–12).
Note: All Scripture references are from the Christian Standard Bible.
NOTE: This Article has been slightly updated from the original version published on October 19, 2020.
–Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
- How Then Should We Vote? - October 19, 2024
