A fellow recently said to me, "I think on the day before the election, I am going to go for a long hike and not come back in a week." I asked him why.  He said, "No matter who wins, it's going to be crazy." 

Even if he is right, I don't think checking out is the answer.  What should followers of Jesus do on election day?

First, pray.  Pray for God to give you a peace that passes all understanding.  Pray for our country that no matter what the outcome, we will all remember we are blessed to live in an exceptional country with remarkable freedom.  Pray for guidance in how you vote.  No matter how you lean politically, ask God for direction.  God might surprise you and guide you to vote against your political party.  Remember, God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.  Be open to the leading of His Spirit.

Second, vote.  More than once, I've heard people say, "I don't like either candidate, so I just won't vote." I get that.  But then I remembered that throughout human history, people had no choice in their political leaders.  Kings thought God appointed them to their thrones, no matter how many people they had to kill to protect their power.  Dictators and generals took power and asserted their rule.  Very few countries in this world can freely choose their leaders.  As I pray through the candidates, I remember a list about the qualities of a leader called "The Five C's." A leader must Care, Coach, Communicate, have Courage, and take care of their Core.  Which leader best embodies these qualities?

Third, Christians need to respond to others as Jesus instructs us.  He is very plain about this: "Love your enemies; do good to those who persecute you." On election day, followers of Jesus should not attack their political opposites.  They should not gloat in victory.  Jesus told us to love people, which means wanting good for them and working to bring good when we can.  It shames me to see how some who call themselves believers respond to political discussions on social media.  Their words and the attitudes they express are not loving.  Jesus would disown many of the things that are said in his name.

Fourth, accept reality.  The reality is there will be one winner.  About half our nation will be disappointed.  If your candidate loses, that does not give you the freedom to break laws, injure others, or live in the land of denial.  No one gets the reality they want.  If I could get the reality I wanted, chocolate would have no calories, and hair that falls out would grow back.  God only deals in reality, not fantasy, not wishes.  Until you accept reality, your prayers will be warped.

Fifth, pray for the fruit of the Spirit as you react to others.  Paul wrote in Galatians 5 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.   If you are truly led by the Spirit, these qualities will be present on election day.  You will love people in line to vote.  You will be joyful and have a deep sense of peace that God is in control.  You will act with kindness and gentleness.  You will be patient with those who are upset.  You will be self-controlled, bearing witness that "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world."

Finally, remember God is in control.  I am unpleasantly surprised when people who claim to trust God with their eternal destination do not trust him to guide the affairs of this country and all the countries of the world.  Spend time reading the prophets.  God is keenly aware of the sins of our country and every country around the world.   He works in the minds of leaders and in the affairs of nations, working his will over long periods of time.  We can look back and realize that God worked in our own Civil War to attack the institution of slavery.  When Jim Crow laws emerged, God began a long, slow work that flowered into the Civil Rights movement so that the heinous sin of racism would be infected and begin to whither.  If you think God cannot work no matter the election's outcome, perhaps your God is too small.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Julia Howe was challenged to write new words to a popular tune, "John Brown's Body." She said in the middle of the night, inspiration seized her, and she rose, found the stump of a pencil, and penned these words: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.  He has loosed the fateful lighting of his terrible swift sword.  His truth is marching on.  Glory, Glory Hallelujah.  Glory, Glory Hallelujah.  Glory, Glory Hallelujah.  His truth is marching on."

Remember on Election Day, His truth marches on.