Those who lost in elections need the church more that the winners

When a spiritual leader publicly takes a political side, they divide their flock by affirming one stream and abandoning the other. [iStockphoto]

In the context of a democratic political contest, church leaders must work hard to clear perceptions that they have been bagged by a particular politician.

In a religious country such as Kenya, the religious constituency forms a significant bloc. It can then be said that the outcome of the democratic process has the church all over it. To assume that the church is tacked in one corner voting for one colour, especially in a highly competitive election is a weak premise.

True, church leaders are voters in their personal capacity but as public leaders, they must be global chaplains. The church leader is called to reside in a space where they can have personal convictions and still carry a transcendent vision. Often, some function at the former and confuse it for the latter.

When a spiritual leader publicly takes a political side, they divide their flock by affirming one stream and abandoning the other. From observation, the matrix with which most leaders use to arrive at their politician of choice is more a political computation than it is a divine inspiration.

This personal preference when sold from the pulpit attracts spiritual authority. The flock that does not side with their leader is marked as sinful and not "hearing God."

One mark of a sound church leader is the ability to have in a congregation, people of different political persuasions, communing together under God.

As pastors flock in the castles of winners, let them be reminded that those who are grieving need chaplains too. It is NONPRIESTIDENTIAL to abandon the losers - they need a shepherd too. The house stranded in mourning needs the pastor more than the house tossing champagne.

Politicians will mostly see the church through the eyes of power. To the extent that the church condemns their conduct, they will distance themselves from the church and even make it a target of attack.

To the extent that the church is impressed by power and hails the politicians, it will be branded as friendly and will enjoy frequent freebies from those in power.

While now and again spiritual leaders will affirm particular political leaders, it should not be a blanket endorsement but segmented applause informed by specific laudable outcomes of their leadership.

This targeted affirmation leaves room for the all-important holistic prophetic appraisal. When priests keep a distance between them and the king, it is not a sign of cowardice or pride.

It is just good priestly manners. It is the sure way to maintain the sharpness of their double-edged duty.

As a matter of general positioning, the church stands best not behind political leaders but behind the people.

Every contestant in the recent elections has people who prayed genuinely. To assume that one side is prayerful and the other is not is a falsehood. To assume that God heard only some prayers and blocked others is a fallacy.

God does not preside over a prayer contest on pleas made sincerely to Him.

It is unlike the situation of Elijah and the prophets of Baal which was a case of identification -"Let the true God stand up!" and He did - by fire. To assume that one batch of prayers won over the other is to make God a prayer referee amongst His faithful operating in a let-the-best-team-win mode. Far from it!

All prayers that God hears are valid.

God who freely invites His people to pray does so because He has the will, love and the ability to answer all to the satisfaction of the seeker. To assume that prayer warriors won and prayer rookies lost is a deep spiritual error. That the prayers of some seem to have been answered more dramatically does not mean that God has cast off the prayers of others.

Moment for humility

When your prayers are answered, do not chest thump in victory - as if the people you were competing with were faithless. Each victory is a moment for humility.

It is humility that makes you remember and embrace those whose answers are yet to manifest. Humility is the key to neighbourliness - a perpetual critical ingredient for our Kenyan community.

One's prayer may seemingly not have been answered on August 9th. And it is OK. Connectedly, one's answered prayer should not be forced as the answered for all.

Let the one who seeks sight for themselves when their answer heaves into view.

The place of man is to offer prayers. How the prayers are processed is a preserve of God. Some upon seeing grand outcomes linked to prayer fall into the temptation of claiming that their prayers did it.

Prayers propel spiritual power but upon reception at the divine ear, the subsequent back-end processing is one that not one can speak authoritatively about.

One may believe it was the long fast that brought it home while in reality, it was purely by God's grace!

Slippery ground

To want to take credit as the person God listens to is to step on the slippery ground because you begin to claim that God should not glory alone. You need a cut of the praise! But praise must always go to the Sought never the seeker.

And...consider the wild card: God places before you four candidates. The character of each is in the public domain, so you know them well. He places power in your hands.

Your choice your life! There was Jesus, and there was Barabbas. There was Yahweh and there was Saul.

Young Rehoboam had the choice between the seniors and his contemporaries. Joshua had life and death. Right there before you is a choice to answer your own prayer.

Upon casting the vote, God allows you to interact freely with the consequences of your choice. Lessons learnt will inform your decision five years down the line.

One person making a good choice is good, but sometimes it is not good enough. The good person must keep persuading others about the good until the day when a community freely chooses the good for itself. Evil badly desires the opportunity to dominate.

Good men must not sleep! With sleep, the possibility of a beloved community slips.