• November 8th – Question

  Who inspired the “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” phrase that Thomas Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence? 

  A. Martin Luther
  B. Benjamin Franklin
  C. Marquis de LaFayette
  D. John Locke
  E. Jacob Duche

  ▶ Click or Tap Here to reveal the Answer

  Answer: D – John Locke, an English philosopher, wrote that phrase in his Two Treatises on Government, which Jefferson probably read while a student of Dr. William Small of Scotland who was teaching at the College of William and Mary. 

• November 8 – Thank You

  Endowed by Our Creator

  

  It is Election Day in America. For the past 100 days, as part of Pray The Vote, we have offered you Pray 7: 7 minutes a day, 7 days a week, 7 prayer topics. The goal has been two-fold: To encourage you in your prayer life by giving you content that will inform your prayers and to reinforce the need within the issues of our time for Christians to vote. 

  Billy Graham defined America’s problem, saying, “Bad politicians are elected by good people who don’t vote.” 

  According to The Western Journal, about 40 million Christians do not take the issues in American society seriously enough to vote, and 15 million of them are not even registered. Non-voting Christians were a huge percentage of the 77 million eligible non-voters in 2020. Imagine if just half had voted! 

  An article by The Gospel Coalition written by Joe Carter, writer, editor, and associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia, suggests, “In America, Christianity and civic religion frequently mixes into a peculiar syncretism where alliance to God and Country becomes intertwined in ways that are harmful to our faith. A prime example is the issue of voting.“ 

  The author continues, “Christians are obligated to fulfill civic duties because they are backed by force of law. Paul said those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God (Romans 13:2). If voting in the United States were legally mandated (as it is in such countries as Argentina and Luxembourg), then American Christians would have a biblically mandated obligation to vote. But voting is not legally required, so we have no biblically mandated civic duty.” 

  The official student newspaper of Liberty University included an opinion piece in its September 21, 2020 edition, where the writer stated, “Politics are messy. It will continue to divide Americans and force them to choose a side. The good news is that Jesus is not on a side. Scripture reveals to us the expectations of a leader and what it should look like in a governing way. No candidate will even come close to a leader like Jesus, but if they are striving to be more like Jesus, then they definitely make for an exceptional candidate.“ 

  The article urged, “Immerse yourself in Scripture to get a better picture of what God wants for a leader in this election.  Pray… for candidates. Most importantly, … take this opportunity to participate in this election, which has the potential to change the world for the greater good.” 

  The website Got Questions poses, “Does God expect Christians to vote?” The answer is given, “In our day and age, there are many who want to drive the name and message of Christ completely out of the public arena. Voting is an opportunity to promote, protect, and preserve godly government. Passing up that opportunity means letting those who would denigrate the name of Christ have their way in our lives. The leaders we elect—or do nothing to remove—have great influence on our freedoms. They can choose to protect our first amendment right to religious freedom and the right to spread the gospel, or they can restrict those rights. They can lead our nation toward righteousness or toward moral disaster. As Christians, we should stand up and follow our command to fulfill our civic duties (Matthew 22:21).” 

  In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson penned these words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  

  The question you and other Christians must ask yourselves is whether or not those God-given unalienable rights are worth protecting, and whether that protection places a moral obligation upon you to vote.  

  At a minimum, you must pray. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 states, First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” And in all your actions, remember, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). 

  How then should we pray? 

  • For God’s purposes to be accomplished through the midterm elections.
  • For those in positions of authority at all levels of government to have their hearts turned toward the Lord.
  • For public officials who know Jesus to be strengthened in their faith and a light to their colleagues. 
  • For believers to seek God’s guidance regarding their civic duty, particularly when it comes to voting.
  • With thanksgiving to God that the United States of America is a nation where the opportunity is open to all citizens to vote for governing officials. 

  See previous Pray 7 daily featured readings.

See previous Pray 7 daily featured readings.

Today’s Audio Prayer Guide

• John Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court

  John Roberts is Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. We pray that God will guide him as he leads the Supreme Court in areas including case selection, case discussion, and selection of which justices write the court opinions.