Today is Monday, November 2, 2020. It’s the day before an election in the United States of America.

In my six score (plus) years of life, I don’t recall a similar time of speculation, anxiety and fear associated with an election. As the headline of an article today read, “The Most Consequential Election In A Lifetime (And This Time They Mean It).”

I am constantly awed by the intersection of life and faith. Scripture informs us that our new-life not only changes our thinking (Romans 12:2) and supplants our racial identity (1 Peter 2:9) but it altogether transforms us (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sadly, like a game of whack-a-mole, our prior life seems to pop-up and influence our faith more than faith guiding our new life.

Vote like your life depends on it!

That’s the refrain being shouted from Main Street, television and social media. We are also hearing the same thing in our sacred places—our hearts and communities of faith. Full disclosure: I am an ardent advocate of exercising the right to vote and have not missed the opportunity with any election of eligibility.

Still, vote like my life depends on it?

The Book of Daniel shows an ardent God-follower navigating life in a land and culture that (at least on its surface) is antithetical to his faith. At a time of great personal and national anxiety, God’s messenger said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”

Vote like your life depends on it?

Let me suggest a different approach. Pray like our life depends on it!

The article concluded, “the outcome will likely have consequences for how politics is practiced and how Americans conduct themselves for generations to come.”

I agree.

Categories: Christian Christianity Community Prayer

Pastor Mark

Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.