At least 17 openly LGBT candidates won seats in Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to a tally by the LGBT news outlet PinkNews, a net gain of at least three over the current Congress. Three LGBT members are departing and at least six are arriving. The Congressional Equality Caucus, which presses for LGBT policy priorities, celebrated the results publicly.

Democrats account for every new member in that count. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s open Senate seat, defeating former Republican Sen. John Sununu, and becomes the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly lesbian senator, was not up for reelection this year.

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From the Daily Wire:

“The American people have made their voices heard. The 120th Congress will officially be the GAYEST Congress in history! (that we know of) Let’s get to work.”

Democrat JD Ford from deep-red Indiana became the state’s first openly gay member of Congress. He beat incumbent Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz to take the 5th Congressional District, a seat that has not elected a Democrat since 1990.

Ironically, this year’s Election Day results also brought a historic record of Muslims to Congress, including El-Sayed, who is set to become the first Muslim senator.

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), who identifies as transgender, was reelected to the House. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) won a fifth term and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) a fourth. Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss will succeed Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost her Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed. Also in the tally are Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.).

The same election produced what the report calls a historic number of Muslims in Congress. Joining El-Sayed are Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), along with Adam Hamawy (D-N.J.) and Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-N.Y.). The report frames the results as part of a broader Democratic night, and offers no comment from any of the lawmakers named, from the Spartz or Sununu campaigns, or from Republican leaders. It does not say how the figure was verified beyond the PinkNews count and the caucus’s own statement.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Christians should be clear about what Scripture teaches on marriage and the body. A Congress that makes history this way is a mirror held up to a country that has been drifting from its foundations for decades. The church’s assignment is therefore not contempt but intercession and courage: speak the truth plainly, love the person in front of you, and pray for those now entrusted with power. Let’s pray that these LGBTQ government officials will be convicted of their sins and serve Christ. We pray for churches to continue to stand for Christ and the Bible, and for leaders in Congress to serve with wisdom, holiness, and courage.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from the Daily Wire. Photo Credit: izanbar from Getty Images via Canva).