For anyone not living under a rock, it has become quite evident that these past few months have been filled with brutal and bitter political division between two parties in our government and the two candidates in our presidential election. While it would be easy to join in on the ranting and the name calling as we desperately try to explain to people why the candidate we are going to vote for is the lesser of the two evils, it is also important that we do not lose sight of an important practice we often forget: prayer.

Recently, through some personal experiences, I have stood in awe as God has revealed to me the power of prayer. So often, Christians makes this the last priority. We say prayer is powerful, but we doubt what it really does. Prayer, however, allows us to communicate with God, aligns our hearts with His will, and forces us to surrender our all to Him. When we enter into God’s presence and pour out our desires, we can recognize His fingerprints as we see Him unveil His mercy and grace to us. Furthermore, as we learn to pray for other people, we can revel in the remarkable truth that God uses His people, as vessels through which He accomplishes His wonderful will.

With this knowledge, our response to politics should change dramatically. Let’s face it. America is not the new Israel, nor is any candidate our Savior. In these upcoming days, therefore, we must remember where our true hope lies. Perhaps, as we realize that our world is desperately fallen, we will learn to set aside our hate of these candidates. Instead, we can ask God to give us eyes to see them as people in need of the gospel; people who need Christ to transform and redeem what is broken. When we enter into a rhythm of prayer and commit our political system and these two candidates to prayer, we will find peace as we allow God His rightful places as Lord in our lives. And, we will find ourselves more willing to display compassion and grace to those with different agendas and values because we will begin to see these candidates not as enemies but as sinners, who like us, are in need of a Savior. Are we posting negative information about a political figure on social media but forgetting to commit this same person to prayer? Why do we invest so much time explaining why a certain candidate is a nightmare come true but forget that we must also care passionately about this same person’s salvation?

Let me be clear. I am not saying that we abandon the political system, don’t vote, and live as hermits. Rather, I am encouraging Christians to no longer dichotomize their faith and their actions. While it is important to stay informed and know the truth about candidates, we cannot forget one of our most important duties as Christian Americans. To be Christ to all means, we must pray for each candidate running. No matter what happens, may we be able to look back on this election season and say that it was also a season of fervent prayer.