Having a Say in the Matter
“I don’t have a say in the matter.” This often-used idiom expresses the sentiment that we need not speak or act because doing so is either inappropriate or inconsequential. The wise Solomon concurred when he wrote that there is “a time to keep silence.” On the other hand, he emphasized that there is “a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Although silence is sometimes appropriate, election time is not such a time. The time for electing civil officials is when each of us should exercise our right and responsibility to “have a say in the matter.”
We can “have a say” by praying. As the Apostle Paul pointed out, we are to speak to God about “kings and all that are in authority” in order for us to “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (I Timothy 2:1, 2). We ask God to guide those who are in authority and to exercise His will as we determine who will be in authority through the election process.
We must “have a say” by voting. The right to vote, particularly for minorities, came at great cost. Rivers of sacrifice flowed through valleys of oppression to gain the right to “have a say.” Along with the right comes the responsibility. Centuries ago God’s Word confirmed our duty to pay taxes (Romans 13:6). Hundreds of years ago war was waged over “taxation without representation.” Still, it is vital for those who pay to “have a say.”
May God bless us to exercise our “say” by casting our prayers before Him and casting our votes at the polls. Doing so is appropriate and consequential. May God bless the Schrader Lane Church of Christ.