God, I feel a battle over my opinions. Each side paints a foreboding picture of a society not living up to the standards of Your kingdom.

God, I’ve been telling people that You don’t want us to be on the extremes of either side, but to be incarnational in our votes- that we would vote on behalf of others, and stand in the shoes of those these laws affect- on both sides. My ideas of true objectivity as actually the culmination of the hypersubjectivity of compassion are so good on paper and in speech… but now I find myself torn, distraught, and without peace. It’s because the challenge is so much greater than sharing in the joy and pain of all people, but it’s pushing even further to hearing what is on YOUR heart. You hold true objectivity in Your hands, You created each individual subjectivity, You know what must be done to best heal heal us, to best make us whole.

God, as we vote, may we be at peace that Your Kingdom is not reliant on any law or person in power. Your kingdom is much more subversive than that, much more powerful than that. Your Kingdom moves forward with grace and mercy no matter our just or injust decisions. Yes or No on prop 8, Obama or McCain, *YOU* are the one that is in charge. Even if they are the “wrong” decisions, you have the power to bring about justice and mercy even when laws say the opposite.

No matter what happens in this election, I know that You still call me to one person at a time, one moment at a time, to witness Your kingdom spring up from the ground. One thing i know for sure- there is no urgency… at least the urgency we think there is. So many people tell me, along with myself saying this, that this is an urgent time to vote. In a sense yes, but we speak of this urgency as if You are not in control. We speak of urgency in a way that if we vote one way, the our moral fabric will be torn apart, and if we vote the other way, God’s compassionate message of love will be permanently undermined.

Yes, I still want to fight for just decisions. I still believe that there is an urgency. But this urgency becomes manipulated by the enemy when we let the urgency control us instead of our trust in the Lord. Our radical actions of and intercession of mercy and justice must be accompanied by radical, perspective shifting contemplation on the One who holds divine wisdom.

So God, as I step into that voting booth, may I do so out of trust in Your justice, mercy, love and power. May you be the only voice I listen to. May every decision I make as one citizen out of millions be grounded in You and in the ways of Your unstoppable Kingdom, of which my true citizenry lies.

amen.