Did prayer change Canadian voters?

It is simply awesome that Canada has a growing national prayer network that is in tune with the Spirit, walking in unity, and rallies together at the call of the Lord.

As well, thank you for putting feet to your own prayers by voting or volunteering during these elections.

What are the results of all this prayer? Well, for sure we can say that the nation’s political landscape has seen a major shift. We now have a majority government and we have seen a dramatic change for the leadership of Quebec from that of a separatist party to a national party.

Is Ottawa’s National House of Prayer staff saying that their particular prayer efforts changed Canada’s political landscape? The statement above does read as if NHOP supports The Conservative Party, and that if NHOP and their prayer network had not prayed, the outcome would have been different.  It reads as if a majority government was the only desirable outcome, and in all fairness, I don’t think the NHOP blogger meant to sound as if he and God are endorsing a particular party. While I don’t buy into the cliche that if you are evangelical you have to vote for the Conservative Party, often Canadian evangelicals do little to counter the myth. I also don’t believe prayer and faith are simplistic, and that merely spiritualizing is a default attitude.

I do believe prayer changes things, and I do believe that we are to pray for our government. I don’t believe we have to set up para-church national prayer houses and networks to do so, nor do I believe that touting our prayer publicly does much of anything except puff up the persons praying.  I also do not believe we are required to unite with groups such as NAR who would be happy to see democracy fail.
While we are supposed to pray for leaders, what about encouraging prayer for those who lost their election?  Losing an election has a strong psychological impact on candidates. What about the hundreds of staffers who lose their jobs; are prayer houses and networks offering prayers for them?

Some of the co-ordinated prayer networks are listed at voteprayserve, which is a highly partisan initiative by MyCanada, Faytene (nee Kryskow) Grassechi’s none profit.

In honour of the spirit of democracy and social responsibility we at MY Canada want to personally want to thank all of you who took this election to heart in prayer, by volunteering and by getting out to vote today. You were a part of shaping history and we are believing for the best as we get to know our new MPs and go forward as a nation. Our leaders have an incredible task in front of them. In times of unprecedented global shaking, tensions and many national challenges still to overcome here at home they will need our prayers, love, support and our input now more than ever. As Prime Minister Harper said in his speech, “…now it is time to get to work…” and build a great future.

Along with this Minister Jason Kenney pointed out in a national interview that in this election Canadians voted their “values.” That is an awesome observation. 4mycanada

Many of Canada’s prayer houses and networks are affiliated with Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation. It would be interesting to survey the prayer groups and networks who united with the NHOP initiative, asking which local candidate staffers voted for. NHOP makes a public effort to be politically neutral, and must be neutral to keep charitable status, even though some NHOP friends do not.
For more information on NHOP read See how they pray. For information on NAR and how they use prayer to accomplish their goals, see the resource section at Talk2Action.

According to the Ipsos Reed election exit poll people of faith voted for all parties. Douglas Todd:

The large number of Canadians who are spiritually inclined also divided up their vote, based on degrees of religious commitment and whether they are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish or Muslim.

As predicted by earlier polling by Angus Reid Strategies, the Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, an evangelical Christian, did the best among Protestants (55 per cent) and those who frequently attend a church or temple (50 per cent).