By Robin Sam
I greet you all in the magnificent name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who said in Matthew 22:21, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Political leaders of various hues are ready to face yet another electoral battle. Polling booths, you can say, are the laboratories where the candidates are tested. Sometimes, candidates are more anxious and frightened than say the children who face board exams in 10th and 12th grades. Most of them are ready to do whatever it takes to get the votes. Even if it means falling at the voters’ feet, visiting slums and hugging old women, or carrying in their arms and christening children with runny noses. They are game for anything and everything so long as each of their actions turns into votes. They are ready to woo the electorate with currency notes, liquor bottles, worthless freebies and empty promises. That none of them – the victor or the vanquished – visit their constituencies again till the next elections is no state secret.
Will this situation change? Will the quality of politics ever improve in our country? Will the new set of leaders who are going to be elected to power run the country efficiently, honestly and transparently? Will they conduct themselves in a dignified manner in personal and public life? Will our country be ridden of caste politics? Will corruption be eradicated from the country like plague? Questions…questions…These are reflective of the longings of the average voter’s heart. These are questions only the Lord can answer. However, one thing needs to be said here. Wherever fear of God is absent, rot sets in. And whenever rot sets in, putrefaction and decay spreads in the nation, society, politics, governance, families, why even in individuals’ lives. The Lord must command fear of God in our land. He can do it easily with the snap of a finger by sending a tsunami or a flash flood our way. However, we should never pray for fear of God to be sent into our land in this fashion.
God expects us, the redeemed, to show the world what fear of God means. What did Balaam the son of Beor, who came with the specific agenda of cursing the Israelites, see? He says in Numbers 23:9:
‘For from the top of the rocks I see him,
And from the hills I behold him;
There! A people dwelling alone,
Not reckoning itself among the nations.
When unrighteousness, injustice, idolatry and abomination fill the earth and sin multiplies, God looks down from His abode to see how His children, the Spiritual Israelites, are doing. He casts His eyes on us to see how His people are doing.
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In Job 1:8, God quizzed satan who came before Him one day thus: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
God is willing to say the same thing about us today. He wants to call us as blameless and upright – as the ones who fear God and shun evil. If we live like Job, then He will call out our names and say there is no one on earth like us. May God Himself help us live a life of testimony.
Voting is your right. You must exercise it. The question is not which party you favor but what policies you approve of. And election is when you express your approval or disapproval. However, taking time to know your candidates, the parties they represent and the policies they espouse will stand you in good stead before you exercise your franchise. There are at least 9 questions for which you need credible and solid answers. Here they are:
- Do you know the family background of the candidate that you support?
- How long has he/she been in the political party that he represents?
- What are the newspapers and secular media saying about this candidate?
- Are there any criminal or civil cases against him/her?
- By how much have his and his family’s assets grown in the past 10 or 15 years?
- What is his educational qualification? Is he a school dropout who relies solely on money power and muscle power?
- Is he a first-time contestant or is he seeking re-election? If he is seeking re-election, what have been his achievements in the previous constituency?
- Is he a religious bigot? Does he represent a caste party? Does he have any corruption charges against him? Is he someone who has thugs and goons as supporters?
- Finally, is he God-fearing? Is he against Christians? Is he someone who belongs to a party that tramples upon minorities’ rights?
If you take time to find answers to these questions, then you would have no problem in deciding your candidate. Don’t be reluctant to test out new candidates who have secular credentials – people who are neither castiest nor corrupt. The adage ‘Known devil is better than unknown angel’ may not work in your favor in electorate. If you think no one who stands in the fray deserves your vote, then you can always resort to the NOTA (None Of The Above) option. Press that and express your disapproval.
I close by praying that God will show us God-fearing candidates who will stand for corruption-free and secular governance. May the Lord have mercy upon this nation. Amen.
