It was brought to my attention by my wife and a good friend of mine that my previous post may have been innapropriate considering the venue and topic of my blog. I thank them both for the advice, and have deleted the previous post. (The post was not appropriate because it was essentially an endorsement of a candidate and this is a blog about biblical counseling).
How we vote does have an effect on our heart and mind and the health of them. My conviction regarding biblical counseling is based in the belief that all things are used by God in the life of Believers (Romans 8:28) and that everything a Believer does should be done in a way that seeks to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
To say it another way...non organic counseling issues are the result of sin, either in the life of the individual or the world in general or both, and should be addressed by the true council of God's word.
Back to voting. The Old Testament is full of examples of Israel getting into heart and mind trouble ie. sin, idolatry, oppression, exile, anxiousness and worry for the exact reason of seeking out leadership based on criteria other than faith in the Soveriegnty and wisdom of God. They called leaders based upon physical appearance, wealth, the decisions of other Nations along with other things.
We are obviously not in the same boat as them, but I believe the principles are the same. We should seek to honor God by voting biblically. This means looking at the candidates position on issues reflecting the sanctity of life, their morality, values and ethics. I think this also includes things like foreign policy and war as well.
I am not saying we need to vote for who we would most want as our Pastor or even for a Christian! I am saying that the Bible does inform us on things that should be of a high priority in our decision making process.
What concerns me is all the attention on polls and "electability." That is a mistake we cannot make. It denies that God is Soveriegn and that the heart of the King is in the hands of the Lord to accomplish His purposes (Ezra 7:27-28 and others).
Whomever you vote for, please consider the Soveriegnty and glory of God at the poles. He already knows whom He has chosen to lead the U.S for the next four years, we need to focus on pleasing Him by our choices in the ballot booth!
