Pray for the candidates
As the midterm campaigns enter their final couple of days, one way we can impact the races for God's glory is to pray specifically for the candidates and those who are campaigning on their behalf. This may be the hardest part of prayer for the elections, because it can be difficult to separate our own preferences from God's leading. But there are some Scriptural principles that we can use to pray God's will into the election. Here are a few; please use these as God leads.
- Safety and health. Pray for safe travels and for God's protection from all harm. Pray specifically for protection from violence on the part of voters who might disagree with a candidate's positions.
- Words of truth. Pray for honesty in campaign speeches and that God will grant wisdom to voters to see through any deceit. Ask God to guard the words of the candidates to keep them focused on the issues that are important to voters and to the future of the country. Pray for the Holy Spirit to restrain speech that divides and to encourage candidates to speak in ways that will help bring unity.
- Hearts of servanthood. Pray for God to place in the candidates hearts of servanthood and a commitment to lead for the benefit of the people rather than for their own benefit. Ask God to make clear to the voters those candidates that will truly serve them.
- Integrity and righteousness. Ask God to reveal shortfalls in truthfulness or other character issues that should disqualify candidates. Pray that he will raise up leaders who will lead with integrity and whose values line up with God's Word.
- Wisdom. Pray for God's wisdom for the candidates as they speak and especially for those whom he puts in positions of leadership. Many (if not most) of the candidates probably do not know God, so pray for their salvation as well. Pray for the humility needed for repentance where that's appropriate.
- Media. Finally, ask God to reign over the messages given out by the media. Pray for integrity, fair coverage, and unbiased reporting.
We need to pray for candidates at state and local levels as well as those higher-profile national candidates. Often, it's the local officials who will have the most impact on how school boards influence our children, etc. While their responsibilities may not be as broad as the national leaders, their decisions often have more direct impact on our lives.
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