Persevering through a Never-Ending Election

“The Lord spoke … ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.’” ~Isaiah 8:11–12

What must a candidate show in court to invalidate an entire state’s election results? This is the unprecedented question at play in the 2020 presidential election. Are hundreds of sworn affidavits alleging thousands of election irregularities sufficient?^[1] Are sworn affidavits from members of a state’s election board testifying to having been bullied, threatened, and misled into approving questionable election results sufficient?^[2][3] Are sworn affidavits by technicians and mathematicians identifying likely voter fraud and statistically impossible anomalies sufficient?^[4][5] Are possible violations of the voters’ constitutional rights sufficient?^[6] And what happens when all of these are present in the 2020 election?

Despite the mainstream media’s demand that irrefutable evidence be proffered before levelling charges of election fraud, the legal standard is merely the preponderance of evidence. All that is necessary for the Trump team to win their court cases is to prove that there is sufficient evidence to seriously question the integrity of the election—and sworn affidavits are court-admissible evidence. In fact, the sheer quantity of these affidavits sworn under the penalty of perjury has led Federal Elections Commission Chairman Trey Trainor to conclude, “The massive amounts of affidavits that we see in these cases show that there was in fact fraud that took place. And the other side really needs to answer these questions. … At the end of the day, what I would say is that these are legitimate accusations that are going to be tried in court.”^[7]

Given the available evidence, there is certainly sufficient reason to question the integrity of our election. Moreover, the Trump team is pursuing multiple legal strategies that have a legitimate chance of succeeding at the U.S. Supreme Court.^[8] As such, this election is still far from finished, and the question of whether our election process has been corrupted remains undecided. Nevertheless, there appears to be a spirit of fatigue upon our nation and upon our churches. We’ve simply found this entire process to be too exhausting and tiresome. Consequently, far too many of us are now willing to simply accept the stated results of the election and to dismiss the  possibility of systemic voter fraud in order to free ourselves from the burden and irritation controversy.

This is Thanksgiving week. Let us be thankful that our God is not so quickly fatigued! Let us be thankful that our God is not content to dismiss truth and justice in the pursuit of unity! Let us be thankful that our God does not confuse the absence of conflict with the presence of peace!

The Bible reveals that spiritual principalities war over the fate of nations (Dan. 10:20–21). America is no exception. A spiritual battle is underway, and the chosen battlefield is our 2020 election. Our nation is in the process of choosing who will set the moral course for the most influential country on the planet. Why wouldn’t we expect this to be a spiritual war not easily won? As Christians, how could we be so naïve as to believe all that would be required of us in this fight would be our vote?

Granted, ultimate victory will never be accomplished through government, but this does not absolve us of the responsibility to empower the officials most likely to institute policies that support God’s moral law. Governments significantly influence our ability to spread the gospel and to minister to others. One need look no further than the numerous religious liberty lawsuits in 21 states requiring churches to cease and desist in their ministry and worship for one to see how governments can impede the gospel.^[9] Incredibly, we live in a country where strip clubs are permitted to remain open during a time of crisis, but churches must close their doors to the public in the name of public safety.^[10]

The results of the 2020 election will directly impact our ability to effectively minister to others. Surely, then, we must believe that the results of the 2020 election matter to God. Or do we honestly believe that the God of truth has no interest in the integrity of our elections (Prov. 20:23)? Why then are we acting as though the church has no role in this election process? And why are we acting as if the church does not have a vested interest in seeing the truth prevail—whatever that truth may be?

Where are the calls for prayer among God’s people? Why are there not more pastors hosting emergency prayer meetings to intercede on behalf of our country? At the very least, why are there not more pastors exhorting their congregations to diligently keep the matter of integrity in the 2020 elections before the Lord? If this is a spiritual battle, where are God’s spiritual warriors? Where is the cry among God’s people asking that truth and justice prevail—and that it will be undeniably evident to all?

Fortunately for our country, there is always a remnant of faithful believers who understand that our struggle is truly against spiritual principalities whose resistance is manifested in the everyday realities of our culture (Eph. 6:12). To this remnant who have been faithful to blanket this election process in prayer, I encourage you not to lose heart. Perseverance is not a notable attribute of the American church. It doesn’t help that we’ve been conditioned as American citizens to shift our attention from one news cycle to the next within a matter of days. There is nothing about our American or Christian experience that lends itself toward persevering despite of the odds of success. Nevertheless, I can’t help but question whether God is using this moment in history to grow the faith and fortitude of His people.

By permitting this spiritual battle to drag out, could it be that God is preparing us for what lays ahead? Could it be that God is training us in how to persevere in our prayers? Could it be that God is teaching us how to look beyond our present plight and to hold firm to the hope of justice administered by our righteous God? Could it be that God is preparing to strengthen the faith of those who remain prayerfully diligent?

It may also be that this exercise in persevering prayer will also prove to be a lesson in persevering through disappointment as we do not know how this battle will conclude. Regardless, our role in this process is not dependent upon the outcome. Our role is simply to be faithful in this moment as we seek God’s will for our country and plead with God to expose corruption wherever it may exist. Our role is also to ask for government officials that will institute godly policies.

Let us not grow weary in these tasks. Let us persevere to the end in our prayers, believing our prayers to be effective (James 5:16), and let us trust God with the results. But let us not fool ourselves into believing that this election battle is finished and that we must accept the results proffered by the media. That day will come, but it is not yet here. To do so would be to shirk our immediate responsibility. Until one of the candidates concedes or the electoral representatives of the states cast their votes on December 14, we must remain fully engaged in this ongoing spiritual battle.

May we be like Daniel who humbled himself before the Lord in perseverance for three weeks before receiving the answer to his prayers (Dan. 10:2–3, 11). By this point, our prayers may feel redundant, but let us persevere, nonetheless. Let us pray for an election result that honors God. If corruption is occurring, then let us pray that it will be exposed. If Joe Biden won the election fairly, then let us pray that it too will be revealed. Let us pray that this election will be scrutinized to such a level that we the American people will be compelled to accept the results—whatever they may be. Let us pray that our system of checks and balances will be permitted to run its course as designed so that we can be confident in the winner and preserve our trust in future elections. And let us pray that the uncertainty and insecurity we are all feeling in this process will drive us to seek refuge in the Lord rather than political figures.