From the time it became clear that Barrack Obama would win the Presidency last night, I have received quite an array of emails and text messages. Here are some of my favorites:

“Ha J-Ri, I guess your vote didn’t really matter after all!”
“Finally, the change America needs!”
“I’m moving to Europe.”
“I wonder if 2Pac will come out of hiding now that we have a black President.”
“OMG, we’re SO screwed.”

If there’s one thing this political race has done in the Church, it has divided us. For some of us, more time has been spent formulating and defending our opinions than on our knees in prayer. For others, we’ve been hurt or alienated from our friends, families, pastors or leaders. In my very short 28 years of life, I have never seen such legitimately Godly men and women so divided over an issue. No matter who you voted for or how you feel about the results of the election, the mission is the same for ALL of us now:

We must walk in humility and unity as the body of Christ. We must seek and give forgiveness to each other where necessary. We must pray that God will divinely lead our new President as he leads us into the future.

This is not a time for bitterness in defeat, nor a time for gloating in victory. We cannot sit back and hope for a misstep by Obama so we can point the finger at our friends and family who voted for him. Likewise, we cannot sit back and do the same to those who voted against him when Obama is successful.

God is MOST interested in His people being unified under His purposes on the earth. Let’s set aside our political differences and love each other, as He has called us to do. For those of us who have been harsh and unloving during this process, let’s swallow our pride and go seek forgiveness from those we may have hurt. For those of us who have been hurt or offended by another’s political stance, free yourself from the seeds of bitterness and forgive.

In the days ahead, we face unprecedented challenges in America. Our economy is still deep in recession. Poverty continues to grow. Millions of babies are still being aborted. Our education system is in dire need of reform. An anti-God sentiment continues to develop. Marriage and Family values are still under attack. Terrorism is by no means an issue of yesterday. … Whether or not you believe that Barrack Obama was the right person to deal with these issues doesn’t matter. This man faces a tremendous leadership burden in some of the darkest hours of our Nation. It is absolutely imperative that he is equipped with the wings of our prayers.

This is no time in history for the Church to remain divided. The world has yet to see the power of a unified Church.

In these coming months, let’s make sure that statement doesn’t remain true any longer.