“You always vote for the wrong person”
I don’t know how you feel about the last couple of weeks. Seems like tensions are running high and many (including me) seem to be frustrated with politicians, parties and even fellow voters. Just a caution: we need to be wary about this turning into discontent, grumbling, apathy, despair, or even simply anti-authority sentiment. All these, I dare say, are unhealthy for us as Christians.
One of the most intriguing articles I’ve read since this election campaign started is one by John Piper, entitled ‘Let Christians vote as though they were not voting’.
His argument is taken from 1 Cor 7:29-31, where Paul highlights that marriage, while extremely significant, is not the be-all and end-all of life. Paul then goes on to say the same principle should apply to all things in life: rejoice as not rejoicing, buy as not having any goods, etc.
That got me thinking — could I compare voting to marriage? Tim Keller once wrote, “You always marry the wrong person”. That is to say, no matter whom you marry, it won’t be the right one, in the sense that the only true Bridegroom for you is Jesus Christ. So could I apply that kind of logic to voting?
“You always vote for the wrong person”.
That’s true, isn’t it? The only one appointed and qualified to be King of Kings and Master of the Universe is Jesus Christ. No one else can truly master all the intricacies of running a nation, handling throngs of people with different needs… So everyone I vote for or have voted for is the wrong person in that sense!
Does that mean I should not vote, or vote for anyone anyhow in the meantime?
Well, no… because, like marriage, the more the person I choose is like Jesus, the more I benefit and the more they will point me to Jesus. So the more I see Jesus in my governors, the more I will taste His kind of rule and desire Him to come and take over the whole earth! And yet, everything about this person that is unlike Jesus’ policies… for every failure they make, it should make me yearn for Jesus even more.
So then, I personally will vote for people like Jesus; and yet I have to firmly set my mind to see past all these ‘wrong persons’ — whoever gets elected — to the One who will come and make all things right forever. By doing that, all things can work for the growth of my faith and hopefully all my anxieties and stresses will be put in their proper place. It may do wonders for your blood pressure too.
Of course, the big caveat in all this, is that you have to know what Jesus is really like!
Happy Voting!
Pastor Dev
