My mailbox is already full of mud. I’m not talking about wet soil, but printed mud – one candidate spelling out the evil hideousness of the other and the dangers that await us when we elect them. It reminds me of a speech in the 1995 movie “The American President” in which the incumbent president says that the way to win elections is to tell people what their problem is, make them afraid of it, and tell them who is to blame. It’s been a tactic for decades, but new to me because I grew up in a country where those campaign tactics are illegal, reprehensible, and ungodly.

If it were only mudslinging…

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It seems that presidential elections went into a very different and disturbing direction four years ago when a candidate who ran what some described as the laziest campaign in history and whose cognitive decline was already apparent before he was elected won the White House. His backers cheered. Millions of others reacted angrily and cried foul. January 6 happened. Smoking guns were found, and allegations were made, but in the end, nothing could be produced that measured up to the rules of evidence of our court system, where criminal wrongdoing must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

To many who love truth, justice, and fairness, it was a disturbing victory for deceit and trickery. And it changed the way election battles are being fought.

Historic events have already signaled the potential for greater chaos today than four years ago. Former President Trump nearly lost his life in an assassination attempt. Joe Biden’s cognitive decline was so evident that the establishment of his party forced him out of the election and put forth Kamala Harris in a way that necessitated drastic changes in the party’s nomination rules. If that wasn’t enough, the Democratic National Convention proved that a candidate doesn’t need to be nominated based on competence and track records but rather “joy” and “good vibes.”

As one pundit put it: “Get ready for a big, phony show.”

More chaos. More deception. Perhaps more trickery. If the quick sequence of unexpected twists and turns is any indication, the outcome of this election may not be up to voters but to what happens behind the scenes.

Some are predicting that the outcome will trigger anger and violence on the losing side, plunging our nation into further depths of division and hatred, undermining the word “United” in our nation’s name as a true statement.

It’s almost impossible to predict what will happen. The factors controlling the outcome are too big, brazen, and complex to understand fully – at least for mere humans caught in the middle.

God’s Kingdom Shall Stand

However, we serve and love a God Who sees, knows, and understands all things – and while the power in our nation’s government gets tossed back and forth, we have received a kingdom that can never be shaken:

So be sure you do not refuse to hear the voice of God! For if they who refused to hear those who spoke to them on earth did not escape, how little chance of escape is there for us if we refuse to hear the one who speaks from Heaven. Then his voice shook the earth, but now he promises: ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven’.

This means that in this final “shaking” all that is impermanent will be removed, that is, everything that is merely “made”, and only the unshakeable things will remain. Since then we have been given a kingdom that is “unshakeable”, let us serve God with thankfulness in the ways which please him, but always with reverence and holy fear. For it is perfectly true that our ‘God is a burning fire’. (Hebrews 18:25-29 Phillips)

This admonition is very relevant to God’s people amid election chaos. It would appear that the election process and its outcome are not a matter of God blessing one side or another but of Him withdrawing His hand of restraint on deceit and injustice — shaking our nation.

What is our role as a people who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken?

First, do not refuse Him who speaks. More than ever, we need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, Who gives us truth, godly perspective, and guidance in what He wants us to do and how He wants us to pray. Elections are worldly affairs, and God does not want us to lose sight of the fact that His kingdom operates on an entirely different level and advances in the hearts of people saved by grace — not through government systems. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (see Matthew 6:10) is a very important prayer for us right now.

Second, let us have grace. Grace is the fullness of God that flows from His throne to us every day – His power and love poured into us, boldness, courage, wisdom, and every other part of His nature that He forms in us. He doesn’t force it on us; we don’t have it automatically. We must hungrily seek it by faith expressed in prayer. The Church, called to represent His kingdom, must be a praying Church.

Third, we must serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Amid the shaking around us, we stand in awe of God and serve Him with reverence. We make His kingdom work our priority. That does not mean we ignore what’s going on around us or don’t vote or get otherwise involved. It does mean that those civic duties are carried out in a manner consistent with God’s kingdom purposes. His desire for us is to shine our lights in the world among a crooked and perverse generation (see Philippians 2:15). He still wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (see 1 Timothy 2:4) because we are still tasked with the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20). Everything we do as Christians is subservient to that. In short, God wants us to live out of our true identity as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Of course, that is not an easy task. How do we combine our civic duty amid a corrupt process with service to God’s kingdom?

The Church’s mission amid election chaos begins with prayer. Without being firmly rooted in prayer and listening to God, we won’t know how to act according to His will and purpose. Also, we will miss a key factor at play in the chaos around us: this is not a battle of flesh and blood but of principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). We cannot defeat those without unceasing prayer. And that, dear intercessors, is where you come in.

Prayer amid Election Chaos

1. Pray for the upcoming election to trigger a movement of prayer in churches. Although it is late in the game, it is not too late. It is no secret that many churches are virtually prayerless and, therefore, powerless. Corporate prayer is powerful and effective prayer.
2. Pray for God to open the eyes of pastors and leaders to have the proper kingdom perspective on what’s happening in our nation so that they can guide their congregations.
3. Pray for boldness and courage to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those caught up in election chaos and to proclaim it clearly — not as an arm of conservative politics but as a message of hope and salvation. Pray that the light of God’s people shines brightly in the darkness of this season.
4. Pray for the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3) in the Church. Elections are divisive, even among believers. They can be a foothold for Satan to drive us apart. Pray for resolve to maintain our unity in Christ no matter the outcome.

Father in heaven, thank You that we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken from You! Awaken Your Church to listen to You, stand in awe, and serve You with reverence — shining our light brightly. Unify us in prayer and reverent fear that we may be beacons of hope and peace amid turmoil and guide people to truth amid lies and deception that abound. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Photo Credit: Colin Lloyd on Unsplash.