Without faith it is impossible to please him.  – Hebrews 11:6

Most voters would like their candidates and elected officials to be “straight talkers,” to speak in factual and honest terms. Straightforward communication is truthful and strengthens integrity. While the concept is simple enough, recent years have shown that “straight talk” can be hard to come by when the stakes are high.

Jesus, in His life on Earth, was a master of communication. Whether He spoke directly to the elderly, youth, rich rulers, or poor beggars, they all understood His meaning. Some refused His message of simple faith in God’s provision, such as the religious ruling class of His day! They had devised a cumbersome system of obligation and regulation, requiring people to strive for worthiness that offered little hope of achieving God’s acceptance. Christ turned this order upside down.

Liberating grace, through simple faith, is difficult for those bound by religious regulation to accept, not only when Jesus walked the Earth but today as well. God’s grace seems too good to be true to the natural human mind but, to the heart of the wounded and hopeless, it is the best news ever! Christ requires nothing other than your surrender to His love. This is straightforward faith: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

The United States’ future may appear complicated, but the Lord’s answer is straightforward. When the nation’s people turn to Him in faith, He will bless them with peace (2 Chronicles 7:14). Pray for governing officials from the local level to the federal halls of justice to communicate simply and truthfully, trusting God with their lives and in their roles as decision-makers.