What Politician Do You Hate the Most?
Last week, new and
And across the country, love them or hate them … people have opinions.
This is not something that’s unique to the United States. All around the world you’ll find people with strong feelings about those who run their governments.
The thing that’s a somewhat unique, is that in America we are free to express our opinions openly without fear of repercussion.
And do we ever express our
Which is the reason for my question.
What politician do you hate the most?
And my second question.
What are you doing about it?
I have to be honest with you and tell you I’m as politically opinionated as the next person. And yes, I’ve been known to have a good rant on occasion. Although, I’m realizing that absolutely nothing productive is accomplished when you and I vehemently voice our opinions and divide the room.
So, I’m starting with repentance and asking God to forgive me for crummy attitudes and then I’m going to…
Well, I’ll get to that.
Peter wrote…
Respect everyone, and love your
1 Peter 2:17Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God and respect the king.
Do you know the king about whom he was writing?
Nero! Yes, that Nero! The Emperor who blamed Christians for the fire that burned nearly half of Rome and then had them arrested, tortured, and executed for the amusement of his citizens.
And still, Paul wrote…
Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
Titus 3:1–2
Now you may be thinking about all of the ways the politician you hate most doesn’t follow these Biblical principles as you believe they should. And you may very well be right!
But…
You and I can only control our own words, actions, and attitudes and that’s what we have been called to do.
Like it or not, even when we don’t understand it … the truth is that politician you hate most has been placed in his or her position by God.
Paul also wrote…
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So, anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted…
Romans 13:1–2
Did you ever stop to think that by your words and actions you could very well be rebelling against God
The truth is, you and I don’t have to leave it there. You see, I’m not suggesting we sit back in frustration and do nothing.
In fact, to the contrary … it’s time for us to take action!
And PRAY!
Paul wrote…
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority…
1 Timothy 2:1–2
And Jesus said…
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Matthew 5:43–44
So, even if you feel that the politician you hate is taking away your freedoms and “persecuting” you—let me ask…
When is the last time you prayed for the politician you hate?
If you’re like me, you’re quick to share your opinions with your friends and you may even feel comfortable sharing them through the screen of social media, but for some reason, you and I hesitate before we share them with the Lord in prayer.
So, I’m challenging myself to a new attitude with new words and actions.
I’m humbly admitting that taking sides and trashing those with whom I don’t agree is not God-honoring and I’m urging myself to faithfully pray for our nation’s leaders … even, and maybe especially, those with whom I disagree.
I’m taking any and all of my concerns and frustrations to God. I’m repenting of any divisive contributions I’ve made to the discussions. I’m asking Him to heal the divides and restore us as One Nation Under God.
If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Will you join me in praying the following verses…
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of the nations will bow down before H
Psalm 22:28im .
Father, in so many ways we have denied Your commands and ignored Your will. Please forgive us and heal us. I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, You will work an awakening of faith. We need the fruit only Your Spiri can give. We need “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Oh, Father, we need Jesus. All the families of all the nations will bow before Him someday, may we humbly bow before Him now … trusting His commands and following His ways.
And Father, pour out Your Spirit through the halls of government and bring our nation’s leaders to faith. May they seek You first and faithfully surrender to Your will, in Jesus name. Amen.
We put our hope in the Lord.
Psalm 33:20–23
He is our help and our shield.
In Him, our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in You alone.
Father, may we as a nation stop putting our hope and faith in people, policies, and platforms. May we love You
May the leaders of our government trust Your Word and honor Your commands. May their choices not be persuaded by power, popularity, or prosperity but by the power of Your Truth guided by Your Spirit. Amen.
Praise the name of God forever and ever,
Daniel 2:20–21
for He has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
He removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.
Father, we will praise Your name forever. You are wisdom. Kings and kingdoms are in Your hands. You are able to use both good and bad leaders for Your plans and purposes.
Father, I ask You to give our leaders Your wisdom. May they fear you, as fearing You is the beginning of wisdom and those who obey Your commands grow in wisdom (Psalm 111:10)
Help us,
Friends, God’s got this!
We can trust Him.
I understand that strong negative reactions are typically based on fear.
But when you and I trust God and truly believe that He controls the course of world events, removes kings and sets up other kings … then we have nothing to fear.
And while we wait, we do what we can…
We can pray. We can vote. And we can shine the Light of His Love!
And a short postscript…
If you think you can tell the politician or politicians I dislike the most, you may very well be wrong.
I absolutely did not write this post to discuss or debate political opinions and I will not go there. I wrote this because we have an opportunity to make a difference … not with our disagreements but with our prayers.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
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Wow, Deb, this is so powerful! Yes, we need to cover all our leaders, whether we like them/agree with them in prayer. God can and will use all of them for His purposes. And we so need to pray for unity in this nation!
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha! Your encouragement is always a huge blessing!
Good morning, I pray daily for our politicians. I do find it hard when I watch the news to not complain or rant. I say that I know God has placed them there. It is hard to understand when you don’t agree and hard not to rant when you are discussing issues. I try to separate the issues from the person which is another hard thing to do. Thank you so much for this post. I am definitely going to refer back to it when I find myself in a rant. Thank you so much for your prayers. I look forward to seeing them every day. Anita
Thank you, Anita! It is important to do our best to separate the issues from the people. I’m trying to remember to do what I can and that’s to pray … the rest I want to leave to the Lord.
Wow..Shame on me.. Sure I pray for our President & Vice President; but am guilty of not praying for some people in the Congress & Senate who disgust me. Deb, you stepped on my toes for sure. Now, I know what is most important to do regarding ALL of them. Thanks.
Frances, I typically write what I need. My toes are hurting, too! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Amen, Deb!
This is so true!
I’ve got a few that I need to pray for today!
Me too, Melanie! Me too!
Thank you for this post Deb! You are spot on! I agree. I try to make the best decision when voting for a candidate. I cast my vote and leave the rest to God. If my candidate is not chosen, I still pray for them, those in government and all our nation. Getting upset about what is going on only raises my anxiety and I can’t control it anyway. God bless you and yours and Happy 2019!
What an important point, Lynn … I can vote and pray but getting anxious over thinks I can’t control is a foolish waste of energy! Thanks and blessings!
I’m totally on you with this one, Deb! I pray for our nation and the leaders that, like you pointed out, are in power because God allowed it and uses them. So I will submit to every leader–my word for the year is “accept!” And trust that God is still and always will be in control! Pinning!
I cannot agree that every politician is put in their position by GOD. If GOD gives us all free will and each person votes for the person they think is the best candidate, and exercises that free will, how can you claim they are put in that position by GOD? I would lose all hope if I thought GOD put Hitler, Putin, Trump, or any other dispicable person in power. It would make be question GOD’s goodness. If GOD puts people in power who willingly slaughter millions of people, than how can HE be GOOD and MERICIFUL? I totally disagree that GOD puts these people in power. However, I do agree we should pray for our Politicians and our World.
Patty, I understand Your feelings. It is hard for us to understand how God could allow people we oppose to become leaders. And although I don’t always understand, I trust the words of Scripture. Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1. Daniel wrote, “He controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings.” Daniel 2:21. And Jesus, Himself, said to Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.” John 19:11.
Throughout history God has used good and evil leaders to accomplish His purposes. That does not change His goodness and mercy. He is always at work. His desire is to draw people to a relationship with Him through Jesus. We may not always understand the things He allows but we can always trust His heart.
Yay Deb!! This truth is needed so very desperately these days especially because we are a desperate people! It’s hard to respect people that are so wrong in their actions but it’s not a choice if you’re a Christian, it’s a must. No matter what, that politician is loved by the Almighty and He died for him/her just as He died for you and me. Praying is our part!!
Amen, April. It’s so important to remember that everyone, even people with whom we disagree or find disagreeable, is a person deeply loved by God and precious to Him. Turning to prayer and asking Him to work in hearts and minds is so much better than venting just because we can. Thanks so much for joining the conversation! I so deeply appreciate it! Blessings!
I saw your title and knew I had to immediately read this because a face popped up immediately in my mind. Praying right now for this person. Thanks for the encouragement to stay positive and hopeful, Deb!
Thank you for your thoughts on politics, Deb. I am politically opinionated too. when I read your post title, I answered your question (silently, in my head), but I know that we are to pray for our enemies as well as our loved ones, so I will follow your advice. When you wrote about Nero, it reminded me of the book Quo Vadis, and its description of Nero’s treatment of early Christians. That book had quite an impact on me.
YES! Pray for our politicians. So much negative out there. So much corruption. God appoints leaders, the Bible clearly states that. We need to remember to pray for them when we want to complain. GOOD POST Deb!
Thank you so much, Patsy! I am praying that God will guide and direct our leaders and help us find ways to come together as His children. I so appreciate your kind encouragement! God bless you!