Sometimes, all God wants from us is a willingness to do what He asks us to do.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

It was Baby Bella’s second birthday and her single mom wanted to have a special lunch with family and friends at our church. As a close friend of Bella’s grandmother, I offered to help with preparations and cleanup. Grandma Jolece quickly accepted.

I set chairs around tables. I speared pickles out of jars and stacked them in a serving tray. I arranged cupcakes and cheese slices on platters.

Time to decorate tables. Uh . . . um . . .

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Have you prayed about the upcoming election?

My family will tell you, “Have you prayed about it?” is one of my favorite sayings. It’s one of those momisms the family will quote at my funeral because I guess I say it so much.  What can I say? It just pops out of my mouth whenever I hear my family whine or worry or, in their words, try to work through a problem on their own.

My call to prayer is heartfelt and sincere. I truly believe that If we say God is all powerful and the source of all truth, wouldn’t we naturally want to go to Him for guidance and help?

I know. A part of us says, “Shouldn’t I do this by myself? I don’t want to bother God when He’s given me a brain to sort through on my own.”

Well . . .

If you are a Christian, God’s spirit lives within you. That means you and He are a partnership, the deepest kind of intimate relationship. Therefore, He wants to be involved in EVERYTHING. He’s going through life with you. Just as marriage partners in a healthy relationship discuss everything from what brand of dog food to feed Poochie to whether to change career course, God wants us to talk over our plans, desires, and dilemmas with Him.

That includes the upcoming election.

I know which presidential candidate I will vote for. You probably do too. But have you prayed about it? Have you asked, “Lord, who do YOU want to be President? Who do You want me to cast my ballot for?”

Now before you go into high gear, listing the moral failures of your unfavorite candidate and telling me you know who God wants, stop and answer the question. Have you prayed about it?

How do I expect God to answer that question?

Over the last few weeks, my Bible study group has been examining the lives of King Saul and King David. Each week, we’ve asked ourselves, what made each of these men an effective or ineffective leader. Believe me, we’ve discovered there is a lot more to the qualities of a good leader than just the two main issues of honesty and sexual morality that our news media would like to emphasize.

I could tell you what we discovered. But then you might think I was trying to influence your decision. Actually, I want you to seek truth, God’s truth, for yourself. And in our current culture where it is so difficult to determine what is true, what is twisted truth, and what is downright deceptive, it’s hard to find truth. That’s why I think prayer is so very important and necessary. If we ask, God will show us.

I love how Jesus assured us about our quest for truth:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

John 16:13 NIV

Earlier, Jesus said to a group of Jews, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31,32).”

I just love these verses. As I’ve wrangled with understanding people’s perspective and motive for what they tell me, whether in my marriage, people in the church, or news media sources, I’ve based my prayers on these words many times Oh Lord! Show me what IS true. Set me free from the bondage of my own ignorance and misconceptions.

What’s so important about seeking truth?

Knowing the truth sets you free from the tyranny of lies. It gives you confidence to move forward in your decision making.

Where do we find truth? Jesus!

What’s true? What Jesus says.

Truth is not relative, what I want it to be. Truth comes from God. “I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).” So, if we want to know what is true, without someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes, wouldn’t we want to go to the source of truth?

As you listen to the campaign ads, the debate speeches, and the news media synopses, I encourage you: lower your head and ask the Lord for guidance. Ask him to give you discernment and sound judgement.

How else can I pray?

Aside from the well-publicized presidential race, there are other matters of concern about the upcoming election.

• Choices on the congressional, judicial, state, and local levels.
• Answering those who disagree with my choices.
• Voicing my personal opinion on social media or other public venues.
• Living with the results of the election, especially if I don’t agree with the outcome.

Pray about it!

God wants to have an after dinner conversation with you. He wants to:

• Discuss each matter with you.
• Give you His wisdom.
• Assure you that He is ultimately in charge of the world anyway.
• Give you His peace.

How can you pass up a deal like that?

So the next time someone vents their personal view or frustration about the current controversy and conflict, ask them. I dare you to ask them:

Have you prayed about it?

I have a simple solution to our country’s civil unrest.

The United States Presidential debate of September 29, 2020 will go down in history as a mess. The traditional question most people ask after a debate is, “Who won?” In this case, we more often heard, “Who lost?” Trump, Biden, the moderator, Chris Wallace? Or the American people? I heard it all.

As sorry as an affair as that debate was, it so typified the overall rancor and unrest that’s happening in our country and throughout the world. The culture war has moved from polite society’s difference of opinion to twisted accusations, intimidation, and threats of violence if you don’t agree with my view. Political parties, races, and even churches draw lines of contention rather than erasing them.

We may reluctantly agree on the big stuff but quibble on how to accomplish the greater goal. Tempers can flare over the smallest of issues: Did Trump talk to the media when he walked from the White House to the helicopter that would take him to Walter Reed Medical Center? How many clerks in Dollar General were wearing masks today? If church leadership doesn’t respond to COVID guidelines the way I think they ought to, I’m just not coming to church. Facts dissolve into accusations and questions of character with the review of a few past sins and bad choices thrown in for good measure.

I’m so tired of it, aren’t you? And it doesn’t need to be this way.

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Why is there so much hate, violence, and downright evil in our world?

Violence walks our streets. Bibles are burned at supposedly peaceful protests. Families are disintegrating. Moral choices, unthinkable even a generation ago, are now commonplace in our society.

Nearly 3 million children in the United States can be labeled as “children of trauma,” children who are abused, neglected, and trampled upon first by their own family, then by society, and, finally, by their own poor choices made in a desperate effort to emotionally survive or escape.

Some would suggest we are in the twilight of civilization and the light is fading fast. Some wag their fingers at the darkness and at those who cause it. Others wring their hands at the mess others, no, we have made of our culture and say our problems are systemic and we are all guilty.

How would God like Christ-followers to approach the darkness?

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