“…with malice toward none and charity for all.”

On November 5th our nation will elect a new president. Half the people will be happy, and half the people will be angry. There is currently a fear of violence that is fueled by continuing accusations and personal attacks from both sides of the divide. People took to the streets in protest following the elections of 2016 and 2020, with increasing violence. Fear is what lies behind the anger and the subterfuge that is dominating the public discourse.

Things in our nation have been bad before. Our differences once erupted into a civil war that cost the lives of more Americans than all our other wars combined. Brother against brother, ideology against ideology with no room for compromise. But we survived that, and we came back strong. Our nation continued to grow and continued to prosper.

The war in Vietnam also tore at the fabric of our nation, and we survived that and the Watergate scandal that followed. Our nation was attacked on 9/11, an event that brought some political unity that turned out to be short-lived.

Our nation has experienced forty-six peaceful transfers of power. We will do so again. The prophet Isaiah’s vision reminds us that God in in control no matter who is president: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne…” (Isaiah 6:1).

This is an important opportunity for Christians; a time to stand as an example of Jesus’ love. Our Lord was born and served in a world where his nation was subject to a dictatorship, one which many of his countrymen found objectionable. Yet Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God's” (Matthew 22:21). He found a way to minister in His situation by focusing on what was important and teaching us to do the same.

The Apostle Paul taught us to pray for our leaders:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior.” (I Timothy 2:1-3)

Some Christians voted Democrat, and some Christians voted Republican. No matter who wins, we must remember that Jesus is Lord. Let us not forget “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). Jesus said that we're to love our neighbor and our enemy.

Following the Civil War, forty-one days before his assassination, Abraham Lincoln spoke of the need for peace and healing in our nation: “with malice toward none and charity for all.”