As the midterm elections came to a close, 2024 quickly reared its head. Many continue to feel overwhelmed by the influx of commercials, smear campaigns and conversations on social media that are aggressive at best and hateful at worst. I don’t back down when I see the telltale signs of an election. Christians should be involved in politics, but our involvement should always begin with prayer.

And if you want to learn how to pray effectively, you can use biblical prayers like Paul’s as your template. Paul prayed for the heart of the matter. He trimmed the fat off and got to the core of the issue.

In Colossians chapter 1, Paul prayed for four items. I’m doing the same for all elected officials following this tumultuous midterm season.

To Know the Will of God

Paul said, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9). Knowing God’s will is first and foremost in the Christian experience. One of the most common questions I get from new believers is how to know the will of God.

In this letter from Paul, the will of God is tied to knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding. It requires us to exercise our brain cells far more than getting a feeling or an impression or pointing to a sundry verse.

God’s word and the knowledge of His word help you understand God’s will. Biblical illiteracy will render you clueless when it comes to the will of God.

So when I pray for elections and the results that follow, I pray that God will give His people a hunger for His word so that they might know His will for their own lives and our country.

To Walk with God

Colossians 1:10 says, “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

A walk is a lifestyle. It refers to your daily conduct. And there’s always a connection between learning and living. A mind controlled by the knowledge of God produces a life that walks with God.

The word “worthy” means equal weight, so to “walk worthy of the Lord,” our walk should weigh as much as our knowledge of God. In other words, what we know in our heads and believe in our hearts should be seen in our walk. The verse goes on to say, “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.” If you want to walk worthy of the Lord, live to please God.

As Christians reflect on the way they cast their ballots, I pray they would ask themselves, “Does my vote please God?”

To Be a Warrior for God

Paul prayed that the Colossian Christians would be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy” (Col. 1:11).

The Colossian Christians needed strength because the outside world was persecuting them, and false teachers were infiltrating their church. Paul prayed they would have the power to stand against the barrage of attacks from the world and those leading the church astray from the inside.

Scripture tells us, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

Whether or not you’re fighting a personal battle, our country is fighting a battle over its soul. We see violence and polarization as our culture sinks further into degradation. We need strength to stay on the front lines, advocating for values that glorify God and make Him known.

As I pray for our elected officials and their constituents, I ask for strength for the long haul amid the onslaught from our enemies and that we will have joy as we press on.

To Worship God

Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:12).

In a nutshell, Paul prayed that the Christians would thank God, worshiping Him, for saving them. No matter how bad life gets here or how hot the battle is, Earth is not your final destination. You’re just passing through.

When it comes to politics, we do our part in prayer and practice. But we do so, remembering that heaven is our home.

This year I pray for all believers — that we will grow in knowledge, life, strength and gratitude for the only One who saves.

Skip Heitzig is the American founder and senior pastor of Calvary Church, a Calvary Chapel fellowship located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.