The Forever Election

The latest election seems to be dragging on forever. First, the campaign season was unendurable. I was so elated when election night rolled around and the last poll was closed. It meant everything would be tallied, and all the pontificating, speculation, and campaign punditry could come to an end. Silly me for thinking such a thing.

Here we are, nine days after Election Day,
and we’re still counting ballots—again and again. It’s agonizing to say the
least. While getting it right is a good thing, dragging the country through
unnecessary anguish is unspeakable. We’ve been doing this for hundreds of
years. You’d think we’d have it down to a science by now.

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I had the privilege of working as an election
officer in my state. At the precinct in which I served, the polls closed at 7pm.
By eight or 8:30pm, we had the votes tabulated, the voting setup packed away,
and the results safely recorded and sent off to the Department of Elections. It
was a bit stressful at the end but certainly not rocket science.

Throughout the day, we checked the optical
voting tabulator to make sure the number of ballots cast equaled the number of
people who showed up to vote. The process left little or no room for error. By
the end of the night, we knew the exact number of votes cast for each candidate
and every ballot initiative.

Every Ballot Counted

I understand that our county is not as
populated as some of the others across the country. I also understand that
stuff happens. Still, nine days (and counting) is ridiculous. Recounts are
sometimes necessary, but come on!

All this election business puts me in mind of
the only balloting that is really valid. Scripture calls God’s people “the
Elect.” We are called and elected by God, and the results are in. There’s only
one vote. It belongs to the Lord. It’s been cast, tabulated, and secured with
the only election official that counts. We win.

And though our earthly elections sometimes
seem to go on forever, the real forever election is the one held by God. When God
elects you, it’s forever. You develop your position among the elect, and (as
the Apostle Peter says) begin participating “in the divine nature.” He goes on
to say that we should “make every effort to confirm [our] calling and election”
(2
Peter 13-1). In other words, follow Jesus as closely as you can, deepening
your discipleship to Him.

Following Directions

As with the current situation with our earthly,midterm election, we are prone to screw things up. We don’t always followdirections well. We sometimes go about matters in an unseemly way. We oftenthink we know best and flagrantly dismiss the pathway God has chosen for us. Inshort, we refuse to participate in the divine nature.

Fortunately for us, there is no recount in
the Kingdom of God. You are chosen, elected, and sealed. The election is over,
and it’s time to get on with our Father’s business.

[Dave Zuchelli is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and currently residesin Aldie, VA.]

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