Weekend Talk: Voting for God

I went out last Saturday to cast my ballot, feeling good and patriotic that I didn’t disenfranchise myself. 

It was my civic duty to vote, and I’m glad I fulfilled that mandate as an active rather than a passive citizen; a participant, not a spectator.

Another reason I went out to vote was that I knew that if I failed to cast my ballot for one candidate, I would have, indirectly, voted for another candidate involuntarily. 

Self-enfranchised voters have now realised that refraining from voting is a vote in itself, which is an indirect proxy by which someone votes for you!

Eligible to vote

Since I became eligible to vote, I have been casting my ballot every time. Sometimes, the candidates I voted for won; other times they lost. It almost feels as if casting a ballot is like throwing a dice! 

Prior to the elections, I was not swayed by any of the truckloads of promises I heard from the politicians, because I had heard them before. Yet, I cast my ballot for a president and an MP, and I feel fulfilled that I did.

Alone in the box as I thumb-printed, I looked at the candidates on the ballot papers and felt like the writer of Psalm 121:1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?” I too cast my eyes across the ballot papers — where would my help come from?

God’s help 

The psalmist knew better than to expect help from the hills. Instead, he affirmed, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”

Similarly, we Ghanaians can say our help comes from the Lord. In fact, we can all testify that God has helped us big time.

Before and during the elections, we prayed hard, appealing to God for peace and unity. God has answered our prayers, and all is calm.  

The unfortunate incidents of violence reported to us can only be a storm in a cup compared to what could have happened without God’s help.

A ballot for God

So, yes, at the polls, I cast my ballot for two people: a president and an MP, but deep down in my heart, I was casting my ballot for God. I “voted” for God because he never fails humanity. Flesh and blood will always disappoint us, but God does not.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah said on the eve of Ghana’s independence, “On this great day, let us all remember that nothing can be done unless it has the support of God.”

Indeed, we must always remember that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  Whatever trouble Ghana is in currently, our ever-present help is God.

Rejecting God

This business of electing presidents reminds us of the sad story of the Israelites who asked the prophet Samuel for a king. They didn’t like theocracy, where God was their supreme ruler.

Even when the prophet explained to them that a king would squander their resources (1 Samuel 8:10-20), they still went for a king. “It is me they have rejected, not you,” God told Samuel.

Israel got their kings, but not without the disasters that followed. Rejecting God is at the core of the moral, social and economic decay associated with ungodly living that affects governance. 

Having experienced several presidents and their relatively long or brief rules, I’m convinced that our true President is God Almighty!

While presidents come and go, God remains forever. Kingdoms, empires and unions fall with their leaders, but God lives forever. 

Regimes that undermine Christianity wonder why Christians wouldn’t bow to the state but abide by state constitutions.  

It is because Christians are dual citizens of heaven and earth, and Scripture enjoins us to pray for and obey governing authorities while worshipping God only. 

Footprints

The church in Ghana has a strong footprint in education, agriculture, governance, health delivery, employment and the provision of social interventions.

That is our Christian responsibility, like voting, and we undertake them for God and our country.

We pay our taxes faithfully not just because GRA tells us to do so but more so because Romans 13:1, 6 says so. And to me, the Romans passage is stronger than the voice of GRA.

Going forward

Now that the polls are behind us and both the outgoing and incoming administrations have hit the ground running, the way forward cannot be business as usual.

The way forward must be a change of behaviour and attitudes, revised work ethics, hard work and diligence. The months leading to rancour and bitterness must give way to decorum and mutual respect.

The nation’s resources are entrusted into the hands of leaders who must account for their stewardship. Likewise, we must all play our parts.

That way, we can rely on God to make our nation great and strong.

The writer is a publisher, author, writer-trainer and CEO of Step Publishers.

E-mail: [email protected]