To abstain from voting is to say that you have no opinion. Also by abstaining, you have no right to ever complain about anything that happens. Your vote is your stand for what you believe to be right.
Before the last election in our country, I spent much time in prayer privately and corporately. In James 1, the Bible tells us that if we want God's wisdom pertaining to any subject, all we have to do is ask. And that's what I did. I felt very secure in the candidates and the propositions that I had chosen and on Election Day I cast my vote.
The vote didn't turn out exactly like I wanted it to and the temptation to be angry and depressed was great. But before I allowed myself to fall into the pit of anger and depression, I thought it would be best to ask God what went wrong. The Lord spoke to my heart with great compassion and said, "Remember Joshua and Caleb?"
Immediately, I began to think through the story recorded in Numbers 13. God told Moses to send one man from each tribe into the Promised Land that He had given to the children of Israel. When the twelve spies left the wilderness, they came to the Valley of Eshcol. There they cut down one branch with one cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it on a pole.
After 40 days of spying out the Promised Land, they returned and told Aaron, Moses, and all the congregation of Israel how wonderful the land was. They said, "It truly flows with milk and honey and this is its fruit."
If they had stopped there, everything would have been fine. But they continued by saying, "However, the people who dwell in the land are strong. We saw giants and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight. And so we were in their sight."
Numbers 14 says that all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried and the people wept that night. Two of the 12 spies (Joshua and Caleb) didn't allow what they saw to affect their faith. Even though there were giants in the land, they believed that their God could overpower any obstacle in their path.
Aaron, Moses, and the congregation listened to the words of the 10 spies (the majority) and did not listen to the wisdom of the two spies (the minority) and the result was they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
The 10 spies who gave the evil report and all of the adults of the children of Israel died in the wilderness and never entered into the Promised Land. However, Joshua and Caleb did enter into the Land of Promise and received great inheritances.
So here's the conclusion: Yes, we should always vote for and support godly people and principles. But we must remember that our God is greater than any person or nation. We must continue to stand for His principles and we must never be moved by what we see or by things happening around us. Faith is the victory that has overcome the world (1 John 5:4). Stand with God in faith.
You are responsible for your vote. In the same way that Joshua and Caleb were blessed, you will be blessed if you voted for godly principles and continue to stand in faith. Even though Joshua and Caleb were in the minority, they were victorious because they were on God's side.
Don't waver. Continue to stand in faith for the principles of God.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
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