So Much at Stake

Reader Lynn sent me an interesting website started by three young guys in Iceland inviting the people of the world to vote in an election for which they are ineligible. http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

It is an unscientific attempt to gauge how those outside of the U.S. feel about the two candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, and the result is interesting. People from more than 200 countries have registered over 700,000 votes.

On the eve of the election those outside the States might wonder what motivates an individual to aspire to the most powerful office in the world, particularly in such troubling times. In conversation with one of my adult daughters this morning I commented that running for president must require an enormous ego. Her response was "or a vision." Maybe both are necessary.

Obviously this American election has galvanized people both inside and outside the country in a way that I can't recall in my lifetime. In Canada we had the lowest voter turn-out in our history. In the U.S. it will be one of the highest, with more than 25 million new registered voters. We should applaud our neighbours for their engagement and hang our heads over our apathy.

Do the candidates have a vision for their country and the world? In scripture prophetic leaders are often reluctant to speak out, with Isaiah claiming to be a man of unclean lips until God instills him with a sense of purpose. We can hope that whoever is elected in the United States, there will be a sense of humble, God-inspired leadership which is genuine rather than contrived for public consumption.

I get a daily email "thought for the day" called Soundbites which originates in the U.S. The prayer offered today is a good one:

Wise and wonder-filled God, another election is upon us. It is an opportunity of freedom won with difficulty and hardship, still not available to all. We infrequently appreciate our voting privileges and reluctantly participate. Forgive us. The lives of Your children everywhere are at stake, for we are all affected by decisions made by world and local leaders. Help us lay aside the rhetoric of the campaigns and make our decisions on the basis of the values the candidates represent.

Give us wisdom to sort out what is really meant by the words spoken. Subdue our apathy and cynicism, our reluctance to take a stand. Get us moving, God, out of our living rooms into the risk-filled political world. Help us understand that voting is a way of living out our faith in you and making a difference in this world.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.