The 2024 Election is less than 500 Days away!

On November 5th, 2024, citizens of the United States will enter the voting booths to vote for the candidate they believe will do the best job for your country. As we grow closer to that day, will you pray for the future of our country?

As citizens of the United States cast their votes, most will focus on the 2024 Presidential Race, there are other elections going on as well. Remember to pray for those involved in other federal, state, and local elections.

May each of us be mindful as Election Day grows closer.

Prayer Before Politics

In this season of life, many will look to politics before they pray. Instead, do the opposite. Let prayer come before politics. Make your requests known to God before you let your desire be known to a politician, or even social media. God is our priority in life. Shouldn’t we seek His presence before we seek the opinion of a politician?

Let your prayers be offered to God knowing that He is in control. Let our prayers be offered in faith, knowing that He hears us and is attentive to our needs.

Prayer is Important

As Christians have a direct line to the Father in prayer. We do not have to go through an Earthly man or a church. We can approach the throne of God with human words, knowing that Jesus is our Mediator. Also, when we have groanings strong for words, the Spirit intercedes for us.

Christians must remember that prayer is part of the full armor of God we wear as we battle the forces of evil in our world. Prayer is our lifeline in our communication to God. Notice Paul’s words in Ephesians 6.18, “…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

Remember, prayer is a part of the full armor of God. It is not something to be forgotten. It is a communication line to be used.

What is Prayer?

One person said that prayer is “Powerful Responses Attesting to Your Everlasting Relationship.”

P – Powerful

R – Responses

A – Attesting to

Y – Your

E – Everlasting

R – Relationship

Some Scriptures to Remember as You Pray for the 2024 Election:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:1-7)

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2.1-4)

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3.1-2)

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2.13-17)

Below is a message delivered before a previous election. The words still matter today as we are praying for the next election.

Chris Gallagher

For the past two weeks you have watched both political parties duke it out in the National Spotlight. Watching the volley of this political tennis match is daunting, but necessary to me. I am concerned with the state of our country and the future of my children from a national standpoint. The Bible is clear that we should pray for our leaders and I am sure people are praying every day.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Romans 13:1-7)

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2.1-4)

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3.1-2)

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2.13-17)

On Tuesday, some of you will walk into a voting booth and walk out having picked a candidate or candidates you feel will be right to lead our country until the next election. I am not here to tell you which candidate or candidates to vote for.

I am asking you to pray for our election. We need to fill our country in prayer as millions of people had already cast their votes and as many more will cast their vote.

If, as logical people, we have studied their principles, then we know their positions. The principles of any candidacy should be valued, because in casting our vote, we cast support.

Contrary to current culture, our values of Christianity go into the voting booth with us; that is why we must examine what we do in accordance with Biblical principles.

Christians seek to have the Bible is preached in all aspects of society, but why do some leave it off when it comes to politics?

Christians cannot put their beliefs aside for any reason because our beliefs are founded in the Son of the Almighty, not in the candidacy of a man. The words of the Bible, what we should believe, were written before our nation existed and they will continue until after this nation is past.

I want to assure you again that I speak of no candidate or candidates this morning, but I speak of a hardship many will face because we have believed something that is not so. People have believed that there are two things we should never speak — politics and religion; but I submit to you this morning they are not inseparable. Some dislike the discussion of politics and religion because it reveals the inconsistencies in which we live.

Lately, I have been praying for a leader like Josiah. Josiah was a unique individual and many times he is overlooked in the scriptures.

I believe we need more “Josiah Leadership” than a leadership which pleases the masses.

We need Josiah!

“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2; ESV)

While the beginnings of Josiah may not be known to everyone, it should be known that he became king at 8 years old (2 Kings 22.1).

A greater point to Josiah’s legacy should be the Biblical fact that he did what was right in the sight of God. (2 Kings 22:2).

He lived in the spiritual heritage of his forefather David (2 Kings 22:2). What a powerful statement of heritage because we know that David was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)

We Need Leaders to Stand Like Josiah!

“And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.” (2 Kings 23:2; ESV)

In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, the book of the Law was found (2 Kings 22:8). Take special notice of Josiah’s emotions when the book of the law was found. (2 Kings 22:11).

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. (2 Kings 22:11)

He knew the history of the nation and how his forefathers were evil in their acts (2 Kings 22:13).

“Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”  (2 Kings 22:13)

As the nation’s leader, He took a stand of dedication to the Lord more than his fathers (2 Kings 23:2-3).

And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant. (2 Kings 23:2-3)

Did you notice that Josiah stood before the people and read the Book of the Covenant?

Josiah did; not the priests, not the king’s servants, but the king! We need more leaders reading the Bible instead of talking about the Bible.

We Need a Leader to Stand!

“And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.” (2 Kings 23:4; ESV)

Here is where Josiah stood: The idols to the false gods from the temple were removed (2 Kings 23:4), the false priests that were ordained were put down (2 Kings 23:5), the wooden image was burned (2 Kings 23:6), the booths of perverts were tore down (2 Kings 23:7), Josiah defiled the place of Molech. (2 Kings 23:10), horses dedicated to the sun were removed, and chariots burned. (2 Kings 23:11) and He commanded the people the people to keep the Passover. (2 Kings 23:21)

We Need Leaders Like Josiah!

“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.”  (2 Kings 23:25; ESV)

We need leaders to take a stand on the ultimate code of law and morality – the Bible. The Psalmist understood the power of following God (Psalm 33:12).

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! (Psalms 33:12)

Our country needs leaders to read and see what the Bible says about life.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34; ESV)

The Choice Begins with You!

The choice to build dependable leadership is by building dependable people of morality, conviction and truth. Each of us must make the change in our lives to begin changing the world. Are you making the change?

Will you put away false gods? (Those things taking the place of God)

Will you put away from you those false teachers? (Those teaching what God does not want?

Josiah stood for God, will you?

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