Whatever the election outcome, someone’s candidate will win, and someone else’s candidate will lose.
We’re manipulated into thinking every election is the most consequential ever. And you may feel depression and anxiety over the outcome of the vote and the direction the country will take.
What can the believer do in the face of those emotions?
Understand that your emotions are not due to the election outcome. Instead, they are due to your beliefs about the election. Your mind is likely filled with false beliefs about the election that are tempting you to worry and despair. You need to dispute those false beliefs with Biblical truth. Changing your beliefs will then change your emotional responses.[1]
Here are some typically false beliefs and verses you can use to talk back to them.
1. “Only my candidate can save the country!”
“I—I am the LORD. Besides me, there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11).
2. “If my candidate doesn’t win, then God isn’t in charge.”
A king’s heart is like channeled water in the LORD’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses (Proverbs 21:2).
3. “Nothing is more important than politics.”
“Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him” (Mark 12:17).
4. “I hate my country.”
“Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive” (Jeremiah 29:7).
5. “If things don’t go our way, we’ll have to fight!”
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
“My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.” (John 18:36).
6. “I absolutely loathe the President and the Party in power.”
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Timothy 2:2).
7. “If my candidate loses, I have no hope.”
We wait for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
For our hearts rejoice in him
because we trust in his holy name.
May your faithful love rest on us, Lord,
for we put our hope in you (Psalm 33:20-22).
Send your questions or comments to shawn@freegrace.in.
Read his latest book, The Five Points of Free Grace for free, buy it from us, or from Amazon.
[1] I’ve written before about what I call Doctrinal Emotive Behavior Therapy, which is my personal adaptation of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). A simple way to understand it is through the ABCDE model of therapy. This is the idea that while people think that Adverse Events (A) directly cause their Emotional Consequences (C), such as worrying or anger, the truth is that it is our beliefs about those events (B) that cause the emotional disturbances. Two people can have completely different emotional reactions to the same event, because they believe different things about it. For example, Daniel was calm in the lion’s den because of what he believed about God's protection. Most other people would be terrified. If you suffer from an emotional disturbance, one way to move forward is to dispute those false beliefs (D) with Biblical truth. Exchanging false beliefs for true ones will lead to effective new beliefs (E) and healthier emotions.
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