Traveling the nation and calling the Church to prayer for the elections has been an eye opener in so many ways. One of the things that has surprised me has been the number of believers who are deciding not to vote in this particular election. I often hear the phrase, "choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." One friend said he wasn't going to vote as a protest against the candidates. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a protest non-vote. That no vote looks just like the millions of apathetic Americans who never choose to vote.

As for the lesser of two evils . . . that's always the choice. The biblical view of man indicates that we all struggle with sin. The depravity of man isn't difficult to prove. The argument of the lesser of two evils is just a way of saying you don't like any of the candidates.

The most compelling argument for voting in this election for me has to do with faith. I believe with all my heart that God is calling the Church to humble itself and pray and seek the Lord on behalf of this election. If you agree and pray, then voting becomes an act of faith. It says that our prayers have been heard and that God will indeed step into this situation and will bring about His will. Your vote becomes an act of faith that God has heard your prayers and is now leading you to make a decision that he wants you to make. To pray and then not vote, is to doubt that your prayers are really making a difference.

You might argue,"what about the fact that Christians disagree and are not all voting for the same person?" It is still an act of faith. When we pray, believing that God has heard and is directing us, it should compel us to act on that prayer by voting. The fact that we didn't hear correctly from God doesn't discount the fact that we  still must act on faith.

A significant principle of prayer is that prayer is always the first thing we do, but rarely the last. Passionate prayer that focuses on the purposes of God almost always leads us to some type of action that is in accord with what we have been praying. That will certainly be the case as we pray for the elections. As we seek the Lord and His purposes, we will find ourselves making the attempt to line our voting up with the heart of God for His people.

--Dave Butts is the chairman of America's National Prayer Committee. If you are not registered to vote, we encourage you to do so. Simply click here.