Finding the Silver Lining

How to Lose Well

You might lose.

There is a very real, almost unavoidable, chance that this election season is not going to go the way you want it to 100% of the time.

We have spent the last several weeks of this series talking about viewing our nation’s politics through a Biblical lens.  One key point that we have heard many times is: that God is the ultimate authority in our lives and our politics.

We’ve been encouraged to prayerfully consider what personalities and platforms best represent God and His Word.  We’ve asked how our politics can glorify Jesus and make Him known.  We’ve been reminded that, even in our politics, our chief goal is to know God and invite others to know Him.

So, what do we do when we’ve spent time in God’s word, searching for His guidance on issues, and we’ve committed to voting in a way that we believe has been led by His spirit… and we end up on the losing side of the ballot?

Were our prayers wrong?  Did we not hear from God?  Does He not have authority the way we believe He does?

Or is there something going on that we don’t fully understand or comprehend?

Chances are, God has not left you alone in your wondering. He has not abandoned you as you’ve sought His counsel.  This does not mean that you were wrong, or God lost the election.

It may feel like it.  Especially if the issue is clearly in opposition to God’s word.  It may feel that, somehow, God’s authority did not extend to this specific moment.

The reality is:  God has authority even when it doesn’t feel like it to us.

He can use election outcomes to make Himself known even when it is beyond our understanding.

And perhaps, there is a lesson for you in the midst of “losing” an election.  

Maybe God wants to do more through the response of His people than through the results of an election.

Could it be that the way you display humility and faith in political uncertainty will speak to your community in a way that victory could not have?

Rather than taking to Facebook to air your “end of the world” complaints, which only serve to divide and alienate, this could be a chance for you to practice empathy.  Use it as an opportunity to view things from someone else’s perspective. 

(At the very least, it might be a reminder to you that social media is not the best place for political discourse.)

Instead of throwing a fit and being loud and spiteful about your opinion.  You could show your coworkers, neighbors, and family members that they matter more to you and to God than an election outcome.

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul writes of being given a “thorn in his flesh”.  It is unclear exactly what this particular ailment was.  Some think it was a physical sickness of some sort; some think a person actively trying to upset Paul’s ministry; or some even think it could have been a spiritual attack of some sort.

Regardless of what the issue was, Paul responds like this:

⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul knows something that we need to keep in mind this election season:  God’s authority does not hinge on our idea of success.  A prayer with an answer different from what we expect is not an unanswered prayer.  When we face struggles and difficulties, we are given the opportunity to boast even more about God’s glory and authority.

As we conclude this series and approach the end of another chaotic election season, be encouraged.

Pray for God’s wisdom.

Stand on His wisdom.

Trust in His wisdom.

And when it seems confusing, know that He knows more than you.

Let this season be one where, in all things, you point back to Him.  No matter what.

To share a prayer request with our Pastoral team, click here.