Political lawn signs have lined my neighborhood for much of 2008. They are still standing along highways, behind fences and on high visibility hills. There were so many political ads on television that our local CBS station started to run their own ads saying “Break from Political Ads” with a 15-second countdown clock to give us all a quarter minute to breath bipartisan air.

Now the election results are in, and we have a new question to ask ourselves as evangelical Christians. It is no longer, “Whom to vote for?” but “What to do about those who have been elected?” We prayed for God to give us local, state and national leaders of his choosing. We believe that God answers our prayers. Those elected may not be the same as those for whom we voted. What’s a Christian to do?

In addition to my role as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, I am the pastor of a local congregation. Since 1977 I have served as the senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn.

I often preach series of sermons from books of the Bible, the most recent from Romans. These series are planned more than a year in advance, and I really didn’t think back in the summer of 2007 about the text from Romans 12:18 that would come on the weekend following this year’s national election: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Personally, there are outcomes of this election that have elated me, and there are outcomes that have disappointed me. Either way, I’m a Bible-believing devoted follower of Jesus Christ who knows that how I deal with outcomes honors or dishonors Jesus. So, if it is possible, as far as it depends on me, I plan to live at peace with everyone.

This article originally appeared in the NAE Insight.

Leith Anderson

Leith Anderson is president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor emeritus of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He served as NAE president from 2007–2019, after twice serving as interim president. He served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church for 35 years before retiring in 2011. He has been published in many periodicals and has written over 20 books. Anderson has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Bradley University and Denver Seminary.