THE ELECTION PROCESS: Casting the Perfect Vote

45 Days of Praying for the Elections

(11 "Now, the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence....17  And behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 But I..."[God addressing Noah] " will establish my covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you." Genesis 6:11,17-18.  
7 "Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood... 12 And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.13  On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark." Genesis 7:7,12-13)

According to the text, Noah, the son of Lamech, experienced 600 years of life before the flood, an experience which saw the impulse of mankind as increasingly corrupt. He raised sons, three, across the last 100 years before the flood. [Those 'boys' got old] Noah was husband to one wife, and she was the mother to his sons. His sons all became husbands to wives. Noah and his sons were men, and his wife and daughter-in-laws were women. While we cannot know his vocation, obviously his latter years included much carpentry, and he would by experience qualify also as a psychologist, shepherd, family counselor, merchant marine, engineer, farmer, cook, veterinarian, and certainly a lay evangelist. I'm betting he could carry a tune as well. What a resume!

Most importantly he was observed with favor by God. When 'the elect' vote right, God is pleased. Throughout his life [and we're talkin' 600 years] he cast his vote regularly for God. He voted God's way as a neighbor, as a husband, as a father, and certainly as a friend, across a long evil season, and no doubt against contrary voices of the hostile, as well as the seductive sort. So when obedience required he build an ark, bring his folks, and a bunch of critters for a trip of indefinite length, to an uncertain destination, Noah, being Noah, voted God's way. [The bible does not state that either his boo, or his children found favor in God's eyes, though it is fair to suppose this.]

No doubt, before the flood, as he was building the ark, he would have had his share of the curious, and no doubt scoffers and critics. No doubt he would have been engaged by well-intended people with a concern for his mental health. And surely since Ol' Methuselah [his grandfather]  did not join him in the adventure, some would have questioned Noah's theology, cause Methuselah knew stuff. Besides this, they had no flood history to relate to. [Yo! What's an ark?]  Yet, Noah voted with a God-oriented lifestyle. He voted God's way, and this proved to be salvation. For his faithful obedience, I see Noah, by God's hand, as a true 'superhero', and a recipient of big-time grace. Also, it seems the Bible loves its carpenters.

We too, here and now, have our opportunity to be heroes of a sort - to offer our godliest vote through our voices and our choices day to day, and to honor the freedoms within our nation, states, and cities to freely elect leaders, and policies before the eyes of our family and friends, our students and classmates, and others . We have this privilege before the eyes of God. We may not be called to build an ark, but we are called as Kingdom sons and daughters, to 'build'... to be fruitful and multiply... to speak the truth in love...

Prayer:  Thank You Lord-God, for these freedoms which we have, and for Your patience with us as we face our days with certain freedoms, to live more faithfully than before. Help us with the necessary understanding to make right elections pertaining to our governing leaders. Bless them, those in office and those vying for office, with the wisdom to do right, and the will to see it through. Let the influences about them capable of sharing Christ in some way, be impactful, and let them discover the Word of life as sufficient counsel, suitable for their souls' blessing. May we all in earnest, turn out strongly to vote, and up to the turn of the lever or the placing of the ballot, become good stewards and good students of this exercise in freedom. Give us clarity Lord, where we lack it... and with clarity, give us courage. As we have been gifted, let us then give - to the glory of God. Let's choose well. Amen. God bless America. America, bless God.
By Dea. McNeal Brockington