Of whom shall I be afraid? One with God is a majority.
Martin Luther

Whoever is elected this coming Tuesday, there are groups of Christians who will be frightened of the winner. Over this election cycle there has been rhetoric from both sides that if ___________ is elected, it’s terrifying. 

While I am thankful that I’m an American citizen, first, and foremost, I’m a Christian and a citizen of heaven, the eternal government. As a Christ-follower, I have a much superior “constitution”—the Bible. God’s Word transcends human government and God’s grace is sufficient no matter what happens in the future. 

We’re blessed in America with freedoms few have known, yet the Bible never promises us many of these freedoms found in the U.S. Constitution. Since the birth of the Church countless Christians have suffered at the hands of evil governments and still suffer. Believers in those nations have no concept of the freedoms we’ve been blessed with. Too many American believers are focused on the wrong government, the temporal one. 

In an interview with NPR a few years ago, Dr. Russell Moore said that multiple pastors had told him, essentially, the same story about quoting parts of the Sermon on the Mount in their preaching like “turn the other cheek.” They’d have someone from the congregation come up afterwards to say, “Where did you get those liberal talking points?” When the pastor would say, “I’m quoting Jesus, the response would be, “Well, that doesn’t work anymore.” We’re in trouble in the Church when the teachings of Jesus are seen as subversive or impractical because of the day we live in or the government that we have. It’s a heart problem!

The early church theologian Augustine said that government is a necessary evil, but it is necessary because of evil. Human evil is the reason that even a corrupt government is better than no government. The function of government is to restrain evil, to maintain, uphold, and protect the sanctity of life and of property. The Bible teaches that government is ordained of God. It’s why Christians are to respect government. God instituted and ordained it. 

Our first responsibility is always to God’s government. Because of our obedience to Him we respect and obey human government, no matter who is elected. What does that mean for us as Christ-followers?

Christ-followers are to be model citizens

We’re told to honor government leaders and obey civil magistrates. That’s not a slavish obedience. There are times when Christians not only may but must disobey the civil magistrates. Anytime government requires a Christian to do what God forbids or forbids them to do what God commands, then the Christ-follower must disobey. But our basic posture toward government, according to Scripture, is to be ideal, submissive and obedient citizens.

Christ-followers know God is sovereign over who is elected and all human government

That truth is comforting and encouraging. While the sovereignty of God over the nations can at first seem theoretical and remote. For example, in the U.S., we don’t often consciously feel the actions of government impacting our lives from day to day. The laws of the land, for the most part, are reasonable and even favorable to us. 

Yet, for most of the world, God’s sovereignty over the ruling powers is a crucial issue. More Christians have been martyred in the last century than during all of church history. Believers are viewed unfavorably in much of the world. In many places they face persecution from hostile governments. 

The freedom to publicly practice biblical Christianity, taken for granted in Western countries, isn’t available to half of the world’s population. For Christians living in those countries, the assurance that God rules over the governments that rule over them gives them courage and confidence in times of harassment and persecution.

Christ-followers must pray for leaders, even those we disagree with

We don’t only pray for them because we’re commanded to, praying for them also makes practical sense. Our leaders can affect the conditions we live in and have an impact on our families, churches, workplaces, communities and even our relationship with other nations. When those in authority are obeying the will of God, it’s easier to “live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2). When evil ones are in authority, our prayers for them are just as needed. Christians must continually and even bravely pray for our leaders, even those who malign us or worse, persecute us for our faith. We need the courage of a William Tyndale. His last words as he was being burned at the stake were a prayer: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” 

The concept of praying for our leaders didn’t begin with the United States’ National Day of Prayer. The Bible contains many commands to pray for our leaders—national and local, secular and religious. 

How should we pray for our leaders?

First, if we’re uncertain that they know Jesus, we must pray for their salvation. Then, we should pray God will guide them. We know that God has placed our leaders in authority over us (Romans 13:1). We can ask Him to use them as He will. We should also pray for their protection and for their families, who often feel scrutinized and bear an extra load. 

And we do not pray for our leaders merely for our own benefit. Leadership can be exhausting. Leaders carry a degree of responsibility to their followers. They’re often the targets of criticism, sometimes needless. If they’re leading well, they’re living in service to those they govern. We pray for them because we recognize the greatness of their task and are grateful for their willingness to lead. 

While we may be disappointed with Tuesday’s outcome, God is not. He was on His Throne before the election, and He will still be on His throne after the election. Our God is the one true King!