How Do We Pray & Encourage Our Elected Officials While Holding Them Accountable?
By Pastor Rod Carver ThD, Guest Contributor
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Col 3:17 (NKJV)
If this title caught your eye, either you are interested in making a difference in the political realm, or you have already been investing your time and effort in doing so and hopefully from a Christian perspective. Your desire is noble and certainly noted in heavenly places. We live in a unique time in history that makes affecting political authority even possible in our nation, and therefore we need to rely on Biblical principles to come to a Biblical approach that fits our mission.
Our mission is this: To pray for our government authorities as Romans 13 advises us as the church to do. To encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith who serve in these places of authority and to provoke the others who don’t know Him to His love. All of this while we hold these same elected officials accountable to the principles of liberty that we believe in.
In Old Testament Israel, prophets were sent to minister to political authority. In modern America, we are governed by the consent of the people and therefore every Christian citizen has the right to act as a prophet to their elected officials. The church then has a responsibility to approach and affect their chosen representatives in those authority. Note: If you are a Christian, you are the church, and if you are a citizen, you are the American government.
With this reality in mind, please do not be sidetracked with an argument about keeping Christians out of government. This logic only works in one direction - just like Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists intended.*
*The improperly used phrase “separation of church and state” evolved from personal correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists. The president sought to assure church leadership that the government would not seek to establish the preference of one denomination over another. In no way was it intended to keep Christians or churches from influence governmental policies.
Here is a short list of four things that could help in your desire to minister to but also hold accountable those with authority in the political arena.
1 - Your message (even in politics) and motivation should be PURE.
We hear many hypocritical messengers in today’s world making it easy to dismiss their message. Old Testament prophets would live and die on the truth of their message. They also took care to accurately represent the Lord. If you want to make a difference in this world, make sure you are different - like Jesus’ disciples when they made it evident that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
A prayer warrior or a prophetic messenger should make sure that they are primarily and intimately connected with God on a daily basis. This helps with the message’s strength, is it for the kingdom of God or merely a personal preference or selfish desire? The question should be asked, “Am I pressing policy for earthly comfort or heavenly principles?” Again the best way to keep your message and motivation pure is a vital and consistent personal relationship with God.
2 - Prayer should precede every action in the political realm.
From the school board to the president’s office, politics has derailed, distracted, and destroyed well intended and moral humans. Inherently politics involves money, power and fame – the triune tools of personal and spiritual destruction. As strong as you may believe you are, you are not strong enough in your own power to make a difference. As wise as you think you are, you are not wise enough to really understand the forces that are at work. Make sure you have the Lord’s instruction, inspiration and spiritual weapons through prayer no matter how small or large a battle may seem.
3 – Elected officials need to be approached with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 1:15 says “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…”
Politicians are humans and desire to be treated as such. Pray for them first, pray up before you meet with them, and make sure your heart is in the right place concerning them. Approach them with understanding that their role is hard and every choice they make will be scrutinized and liked by some and hated by others. Pray that you can keep an eternal perspective toward them.
Gentleness toward them, a soft answer, and respect for the authority they hold will go a long way toward them listening and considering your point of view.
Whether they agree or disagree with you politically, they are made in God’s image for His pleasure so the most important goal in the end is their salvation.
4 – Love your elected officials practically.
If you have the opportunity to be consistent in the life of an elected official, love them practically. If they know you care, they will listen to you more. Send a note telling them you are praying for them. Birthday cards or other correspondence goes a long way in breaching the gap between the elected official and the constituent. Handwritten notes are always the best – even better than emails.
Could you imagine having to keep your job by running in an expensive popularity contest every 2 to 4 years? Assume they need and will appreciate your involvement in their life even as you push through the suspicions they may have over your motives. I like to drop by a judge’s office in my town as they finish their docket and ask if I can pray for them before they leave. I always make it clear I will not publically challenge them, but love them enough to tell them privately, if I disagreed with a decision or direction they were taking. A little love goes a long way.
Don’t sell yourself short - your personality, your gifts, and your life experience may be just what is needed to impact an elected official’s life or a decision that is being made in the public space.
Dear citizen, you are here for such a time as this. When God is calling you, no excuse is a good excuse.
Let’s pray, let’s encourage, but let’s also walk beside our elected officials in love and steer them toward the right choices for our communities.
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Pastor Rod Carver moved to the Coastal Bend 23 years ago and planted Calvary Chapel Coastlands and founded KSGR 91.1 FM. He continues to live and serve in Corpus Christi and unites with local pastors to bring spiritual life and healing to South Texas. He has a Master’s degree in Biblical Leadership and in 2019 completed a Doctoral degree focusing on the church’s responsibility to those in authority.
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