Prayer vs. Politics

By Dean Collins

I was thinking about CS Lewis’s book, The Screwtape Letters, this morning. I have read this book several times but not recently. In the book, a senior demon writes letters to a junior demon advising him as to how to keep humans from focusing on seeking or following God. It is a clever book that is relevant to anyone who wants to better understand how the true enemy of God actually tempts us and distracts us from our creator and keeps us from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus offers.

I suspect if Lewis was alive today, he would have easily written a chapter in which the senior demon, Screwtape, might suggest that an easy way to keep humans from seeking God is by one of two methods. First, focus humans on politics as the key way to maintain real freedom and insure that future generations might be able to experience God. Second, carefully mix politics with faith. In other words, the demons might find ways to focus our thoughts on following policy over following leaders. 

The real power of the first strategy is that if the enemy of God can successfully get Christians to focus on politics and political positions, they will likely spend less time focusing on God, and, therefore, they will simultaneously not focus on spreading the good news of Jesus.

The great power of the second strategy is that Christians actually believe they are spreading or protecting the gospel when they pick their political party. To do this successfully, the tempter would need to suggest that compromise is a key aspect of the strategy. We would need to be convinced that certain things God desires could be set aside, at least temporarily, so that our politicians can get the right platforms in place to protect our faith.

An updated edition of The Screwtape Letters would clearly have the junior demons learning how to leverage the power of social media. By doing so, the devils-in-training would have a plethora of tools to use, including instant information being spread every minute by real humans and by AI-generated images. As humans tried to keep up with the constant news cycles, they wouldn’t have time to do any real research or think about the source of the information they read. 

The enemy, of course, would want to leverage emotions in order to keep us stirred up and agitated and less likely to slow down and read scripture, pray, and seek what God truly wants and what he has called us to as his disciples.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 jumped off the pages of my Bible today:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.’”

This text first made me think of how both political parties have chosen candidates to win the election. Each party believes they have the right view of the Constitution and the key to securing freedom in our country. As I thought about this, I realized how much attention Christians are giving to politics and why their chosen party is best for the country and even for Christianity. But then it hit me that we are all so obsessed with politics that we likely are spending less time in scripture and prayer and more time figuring out how to pick the leader and the political position that will protect our faith.

Somehow, reading Jeremiah and Paul this morning challenges me to make sure that my focus is on understanding God and practicing his steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. Otherwise, I might get caught in the news cycles and political debate and forget what all of scripture calls me to be and to do.

Instead of figuring out which party or politician is best for the Christian faith, maybe our focus ought to be on how we become more like Jesus. Because the more we are like Jesus, the more the world might see and discover the life that God offered the world when he sent his only son Jesus to redeem and restore all things.

What might happen in our lives and in the church if we fully embraced the instruction Paul gave the church in Philippi?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I think if we focus on Jesus more and politics less, God might do just fine, no matter who is elected president.

Father, forgive us for giving into the distractions of the world and what our earthly leaders promise. Give us the courage to fully trust in your promises and seek the mind of Christ daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Jeremiah 9:23-24; Philippians 2:3-11 ESV

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