ELECTION REFLECTION – 2020
October 30
Q. 103. What do we pray for in the third petition?
A. In the third petition, which is, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”, we pray that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.
Reflection:
If we seek Him and ask him, our loving and perfect Father will guide our hearts and minds to follow his ways and to see as he sees. As we seek Him through his Word, his Spirit, and his people, we will know him better and better. Our sanctification makes us more like Jesus Christ, and enables us to die to sin, behave more like him, and care for the things he cares about.
As our Lord announced his ministry, quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2, he expressed a care for the poor, the broken hearted, captives, prisoners, and those who mourn. As Jesus later taught his disciples, he expressed his care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those with inadequate clothing, and those in prison.
As we obey Him and submit to the Lord’s will in all things, the Holy Spirit will guide us to use our political influence, however modest, to seek the greatest good for the most people. It may be complicated for us to do this within the most common political affiliations, where subtle or complex issues are often presented as clear “either – or” positions.
This is where our Bible and our theology should guide our politics, rather than the other way around. Because we are a called-out people – and possess blood-bought Christian liberty - our efforts to seek the good of all people may be distinctive and may not fit well into the common political categories pressed upon us.
As you seek to obey the Lord, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Elder Dave Werner