Which Presidential Candidate Should I Vote For?

[Editor’s Note: From time to time, readers write to us asking a question. If the questions seem relevant to most of our readers, we’ll feature the question and answer in a blog post. Thank you to Wayne and Pat for our first question. If any readers have a question related to Christ and his supremacy, or to a Christ Awakening, please contact us.]

Question:

“As we listen to the exchanges of personal insults between presidential candidates, we have a hard time imagining that these contenders are highly qualified for the highest office in the United States. How do you think about these matters and how do you pray for our country?”

Answer:

My sense is that confusion reigns on every side and among the voters themselves. But even more than confusion we find ourselves in the grip of profound stubbornness between the two political parties and the constituencies they represent, all of which arises from a response of fear due to this confusion.

We’ve become a people who feel utterly harassed and helpless—wandering and anxious and baffled and violated and threatened precisely because there are no shepherds, no clear trumpet sound, and no voice of confident hope to offset the complexity and confusion.

So we find ourselves as Americans thrashing around looking for a “strongman” (man or woman) who will take charge and make us feel safe again from external and internal enemies—from terrorists to robber barons to impersonal bureaucracies (whether in health care or at the DMV).

The Prevailing Truth in the Election

And so I keep coming back to Psalm 110, the most frequently quoted and referenced Old Testament passage by New Testament writers when they point to Christ:

The Lord says to my lord:

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,

“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

Your troops will be willing

on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy splendor,

your young men will come to you

like dew from the morning’s womb.

The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand;

he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead

and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

He will drink from a brook along the way,

and so he will lift his head high.

One truth prevails whatever the outcome of the upcoming elections. No candidates can contradict this reality. Nor can they function outside of it.

Jesus reigns.

He extends his scepter in the midst of all the confusion. His troops join him in advancing his battle plan—primarily by their prayers.

And ultimately Jesus will triumph.

All eleven verses of Psalm 110 are fulfilled in Christ and in what he is doing right now.  This is what Revelation 1 says so clearly: Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

This is present tense—not past tense and not future tense. Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Period.

Two Themes to Look For in Candidates

Therefore, as a voting American, the most important responsibility you have is to keep listening to all current candidates (at all levels) for two themes:

1) See which candidates pursue policy initiatives (in the broad sweeps) that reflect Kingdom principles (even if not Christians themselves).

These are principles like justice, reconciliation, compassion, righteousness, servanthood, affirmation of life, liberation, human rights, peacemaking, high moral standards, opposition to evil, etc.

For sure, King Jesus can mold and shape and work through a leader who already is headed in the direction of HIS Kingdom.

2) Look for evidence of ethical integrity, humility, openness, and teachability that suggests their hearts are pliable to the Lord.

The Lord Jesus may move on such leaders more freely to guide them to accomplish his will on earth the way it is done in heaven—even if candidates are not overtly Christian (or even religious).

Of course competency is also important, but having the previous two ingredients are vital for turning the nation around morally, ethically, communally, politically, and spiritually.

Who to Vote For

For what it’s worth, at the moment there seems to be, in my opinion, at least one presidential contender who significantly exhibits many qualities of both themes.

But in the end, the ONLY hope for our nation does not lie in a donkey or an elephant, but in a LAMB who is reigning at the center of the Throne.

Therefore, the greatest “campaign” we could wage right now is the one supporting a Christ Awakening movement throughout the Body of Christ in our nation.

The more alive God’s people are to Christ and his agenda, then the more God’s people can offer the hope of preserving our country from decay by filling the nation with the hope of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, just as the waters cover the sea (see 2 Corinthians 4:6 and Isaiah 11:9).

Postscript: To consider how a Christian may regard the role and impact of earthly leaders, watch this five-minute video from The Christ Institutes on Christ’s design over global leaders. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Bryant

Known as a proclaimer of Christ and Messenger of Hope, David Bryant is the founder and president of Proclaim Hope!, a ministry whose goal is to serve a nationwide Christ Awakening. David is the author of five books, including Christ Is ALL! Join in the Joyful Awakening to the Supremacy of God’s Son.