Serve God, Pray for leaders

Starting with a disclaimer: We are not here to tell you how to vote or to persuade you towards a specific candidate or party. Fulfilling the Ministry does not endorse any candidates or political parties. In fact, there are a few things Mel and I don’t necessarily agree on politically. And that is OKAY. We agree on the main points of the Gospel and that is more than enough. Today’s post is more to encourage you to care about politics and how to approach them from a (very basic) Christian manner. Now, with that being said, I am opinionated and do enjoy talking about politics in safe environments, so if that is what you’d like to do- let’s have ice cream one day and talk!

Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:1-2 CSB

Let’s pause on this scripture reference for a bit. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. Some of us know enough basic history to know that Rome had some tough rulers, especially during the first century. Nero was ruler at the time, and he could very well be considered one of the worst Roman rulers. Yet, we see Paul command believers to submit to the governing rulers. 

God is our ultimate authority, with no doubt. But we also see clearly in these verses that God “instituted” these government authorities. Think about that for a second. Most of our government officials in 2024 are probably not true Christians, and they definitely weren’t in the first century of Rome. So how can we make sense of this? As we have seen in previous posts that explore the lives of women in the Bible, God often uses ungodly people for His glory. If God is all powerful (He is), it is only by His power and permission that any type of leader is able to be in a position to influence others. 

But how do we follow God when the ruler in charge is asking us to do something in opposition to God’s commands?

We recognize that God is our first King, so we must follow Him first and foremost. We see great examples of God’s people following God first and defying the ruler of the time- the Hebrew midwives (Exodus), Daniel and his friends (Daniel), Queen Esther (Esther), etc.  But the way they went about it is what we should focus on- not one of them acted rashly. They prayed; they followed God’s wisdom. They did what was right in the eyes of God, but were as respectful as they could be. None of these cases ended with a coup or with God’s people committing burglaries and murder to get their way. I encourage you to look more at some of these books of the Bible and see for yourself how God’s people opposed ungodly rulers in respectful, God-honoring ways. 

This also reminds me of another verse: 

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. Ephesians 4:15 CSB

Ephesians is another letter written by Paul, but to the church at Ephesus. He reminds us that our job is to speak the truth in love. Do you know what the truth is? Not what culture says is her truth, his truth, or my truth. Nope. Only Jesus is The Truth. He Himself said in John 14:6 “I am the Truth…” So we have to proclaim Jesus and His word if that means going against culture or our political leaders. Doing that in love is often a balancing act. 

Daniel acted lovingly by not following the decree to bow down to the statue of the King, but only bowing in worship and prayer to God. He simply did what was right. He did not tell the king that he was a dummy or try to burn his castle down. 

Can I have opinions on issues?

So I already shared with you that I have lots of opinions on political matters. Is it Biblically okay for me to do so? I would argue yes, and that it is important for us to be informed and aware of what major issues are being discussed and decided on, both locally and nationally. 

When we choose to be ignorant or uninformed about issues, we are being silent on the matter by default. You may assume that being silent is like “pleading the 5th” or showing neutrality like Switzerland. I would challenge you to consider your silence on issues that may have moral or Biblical consequences. Your silence may often be taken as approval, not neutrality. 

DeeDee, why would you say such a thing? Think of the traditional wedding ceremony adage: "If anyone objects to the marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." By not speaking out in objection, you are showing your support and approval for that marriage. 

If you are interested in this idea and want to do further research, this is a great episode on this topic from Frank Turek.

Conclusion

So we have established a few answers to our question of how we should care about politics as God followers. We should respect our leaders. We should pray for our leaders. We should be loving if we have to stand up for truth against our leaders. Likewise we have to be informed and aware of what issues are being discussed and part of the political agenda. It is much harder to stand up for truth when we are unaware of what we are opposing. 

I would like to conclude today’s post by showing my admiration and appreciation to be a citizen of the United States of America. Is our country perfect? Absolutely not. Do we do politics correctly? Nope. But I am so grateful that we have the ability to research issues, speak on the Truth and on God’s Word, and vote for leaders according to our conscience.