I am fully aware that many Christians have had enough of the election talk. I am too honesty but, we need to talk about this. We have elections once and the people we chose into power guide our country for the proceeding 5 years.
What decisions they take can either break us or make us.
Enormous, daunting challenges face the Ugandan people when it comes to the economy, national security, defending marriage and the sanctity of human life, protecting our religious freedom, our relationship with neighbors, and many other issues with moral and spiritual dimensions.
Indeed, when it comes to the type of people who will govern us, the stakes could not be higher. So, what are the two things every Christian should do?
- Christians need to pray faithfully and consistently for wisdom and direction for our national leaders.
We may not always be happy with what our leaders are doing and saying, but we need to pray for them anyway. Failing to do so is disobedience to God.
- As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy and the church he pastored in Ephesus,“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
- Paul told the church in Rome to “render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor (Romans 13:7).
The Christians who founded this great country certainly were men and women of prayer. The last thing we should do is complain of consistent election rigging in every election, then stay back at home on 18th February 2016.
I was chatting with a christian friend of mine, she was certain of who she was giving her vote but, what challenged me was her degree of responsibility towards the cause.
she said, “Because I want change, I will be at the polling station by 5:30 am on Thursday, and I shall not leave until votes at my polling station are counted well and sealed back in the ballot. I must contribute the transformation of Uganda. Even if they rig votes again…at least I will be glad at heart that I voted for change,”
We should definitely pray for God to protect and guide those in authority. We should also pray that God remove tyrants and unfit men from leadership and replace them with new leaders who had great wisdom and sound judgment to govern the struggling nation. Should we do any less today?
2. Christians need to exercise their right to vote and mobilize others to vote as well.
By God’s grace, we are liberated people and citizens of the pearl of Africa. Very few people in history have had a say in who got elected in their countries and what values and policies those leaders would defend and advance, but we have that very privilege. How dare we ignore and squander it?
We should take this right seriously. As Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).
If we want to help our government fundamentally change direction—if we’re committed to doing everything possible to avoid an economic and cultural implosion—we need to be serious, focused, and involved in the political process.
When you find a candidate you like and can trust, ask the Lord whether he would have you help that candidate with your time, your talent, or your treasure. The Lord doesn’t call every believer to get actively involved in a campaign beyond voting, but some he does. Do only what the Lord tells you to do, no more but no less. And when the time comes, vote—and mobilize others to vote—and then trust the Lord with the results.
As the prophet Daniel told us, ultimately it is the Lord who “removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). So don’t let yourself become depressed if your candidate loses. God is still in control. And don’t gloat if your candidate wins. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Not all Christians are going to agree on every issue or every candidate, of course. But consider how much impact Christians could make in reshaping the fundamental direction of the White House.
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By our reporter ; Aaron Sseruyigo, with Contributions from Joel C.
Joel C and his wife have four sons. He is also the Founder and Chairman of The Joshua Fund, a non-profit educational and charitable organization he and his wife launched in 2006 to mobilize Christians to “bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, according to Genesis 12:1-3.”
Photo Credit; Todd Heisler – 2011, election officials counting ballots in the Lubaga section of the Ugandan capital, Kampala,
