FRIENDS, ENEMIES, ELECTIONS, AND PRAYER.

Brad Klopfenstein interviewing Libertarian Senate candidate Lucy Brenton at post-election party at Scotty's Brewhouse, Indianapolis on Nov. 8, 2016.

Watching the returns election night in 2016 was a unique experience. No, it had nothing to do with the Presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. My focus was on the scroll on the bottom of the screen, going through the other races, such as Indiana governor and U. S. and State House and Senate.

Usually, I'm sitting at home or work (more usually the latter), but in this case I was at Scotty's Brewhouse during the post-election party for the Libertarian Party. Instead of quietly sitting in a chair by myself, I was mingling with various members of the state party, most of whom I met during the year. 

Among the cast was U.S. Senate candidate Lucy Brenton and Congressional candidates Steven Mayoras, Rich Turvey, and Drew Thompson, all part of the Compact for Liberty signing a couple of years ago. Also in the mix was Mark Rutherford, who would be the LP's Secretary of State Candidate in '18 and who I met at a local Libertarian meeting, Donald Rainwater who had a successful campaign (for a Libertarian) for Governor in '20, and Sam Goldstein and the late Bill Bean who I worked with at the LP booth during the '16 Irvington Fall Festival.

As I looked at the results, I saw other names I was familiar with. Long time friend Andrew Horning, who was at the Compact for Liberty signing, along with Donna Dunn, Pepper Hulette Snyder, and Russell Brooksbank, all of which were running for office. Rex Bell and Karl Tatgenhorst, who were the Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates. I spent the summer and fall that year promoting those candidates and sharing their posts on Facebook.

Then it hit me. I was watching the results in a way I never saw them before. Typically, I'd look at interest at people I was rooting for and see how they're doing.

That Tuesday night, I was watching to see how my friends were doing. 

When I posted three days after that election, I suggested a radical concept: Shouldn't our Congresspeople and Governor candidates, etc., be our friends? Wasn't this to some extent what the Founding Fathers had in mind, for us to be represented by our peers, as opposed to being ruled over an aristocracy that is out of touch with the populace?

That was six years ago. Around the time of the '22 elections, Becky made a comment that she needed to be praying for our President, and that it is basically praying for our enemies. 

Is she far off? 

When 2023 starts, Becky and I will have a different U. S. Representative, State Representative, and State Senator than we do now, all due to the post-census redistricting. Two of the three are ones we think share our interests. Not any more.

But here's the bottom line - We're to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2), whether they're friends or enemies. (The NT epistles were written when Nero was Caesar.) We're to honor and give thanks for all people (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1). And just as important, we're not to put our trust in princes but in the Lord (Psalm 146:3-5).