Can Prayer Influence Election Results?

In this hectic political season, it’s easy for those of us who follow both conservative politics and Judeo-Christian doctrine to lean towards politics. As I write this on the Sabbath, I find my mind drifting towards politics. The two don’t have to exist as mutually exclusive components in our lives. The separation of church and state doesn’t have to exist in our own minds. For this reason, it’s important to discuss how faith plays a role in elections.

No, I’m not talking about the Biblical or secular worldviews that drive politicians. I’m referring to the faith of the voters and specifically whether or not we should pray for one candidate or another. Since I support Ted Cruz, it may come as a surprise that I don’t actually pray for him directly. My prayers before primaries and caucuses is for God’s Will to be done. This may seem redundant; we’re charged to pray for the Will of the Father to be done in earth as it is in Heaven every day through the Lord’s Prayer. However, I believe it’s important to pray for discernment by the voters as part of God’s Will.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t pray for Ted Cruz or whoever our chosen candidate is. We should pray for them to follow the Holy Spirit. We should pray for them to be discerning. We should pray for them to have clarity of thought that is Bible-driven. However, leaders are chosen by the Father. Even though I believe Cruz is the right answer for America, Israel, and the world, that doesn’t give me the right to want my will done. If it’s God’s Will that Ted Cruz should be President, it will happen and I will pray for His Will to be done.

On the original topic, can prayer influence election results? If God’s Will is to be done, then prayer shouldn’t be able to influence the results, right? This is where we can get into a long discussion about how the Will of God manifests on earth. It also brings about philosophical questions about free will. The truth is that we do not and cannot understand the dynamic between our prayers, predestination, and God’s Will. Therefore, we must follow what we are told in the Bible. In other words, we might not understand why we are to pray, but we do know that we are told to pray always.

These are strange times. Some might even say that they’re Biblical. There are many reasons that I personally support Ted Cruz, but I will pray for anyone who becomes our President. At the end, we don’t have to trust or even like our leaders, but we should always be praying for them.

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