As you know, my wife, Carol, prepares a prayer alert about once a month. I hope you will share Carol’s thoughts with your friends and fellow worshippers. Thank you for taking an interest in her monthly devotion. —Gary

In recent years we have seen much discouraging news in the political realm. Those of us who cherish a government grounded in three co-equal branches as envisioned by the Founders have been left frustrated and angry.

First the courts, and now the executive branch, have wrested power and authority from the House of Representatives and the Senate. In those bodies it too often seems as if those who say they share our values are skittish about making the case for those values and hesitant to use the positions with which they have been entrusted to change hearts and minds.

Through the years of being cast in the political wilderness, values voters have regrouped, picked our battles, learned to use social media to our advantage and concentrated efforts to build a movement from the bottom up. The excesses of the left have been exposed through new media. And this week, in an off-year election, values voters can point with pride to several big wins.

From the overwhelming defeat of issues like marijuana legalization in purple Ohio to the stunning defeat of the transgender agenda in Houston, the fourth largest city in the country at 2.2 million people, there was much to encourage us.

The Washington Post online story about the results of the night were a real keeper: “From coast to coast, conservatives score huge victories in off-year elections.”

Join me in thanking God for the opportunity we have to make our voices heard with our vote and the freedom to try to influence the votes of others. It is a precious gift we must never take for granted.

Pray that those who took the time to be involved this year will feel validated by the outcome and moved to remain involved. Ask God to prompt those who may be discouraged to see the potential for their involvement to have a big impact on the direction of the country.

Ask God to grant public officials who ran on values issues — the values that undergird the free exercise of faith and strong families — the strength to remain true to their promises.

The presidential primary season has reached a new point. First impressions have been made. Several candidates have dropped out. And it seems there are three tiers of support into which the whole field falls.

Each debate precipitates some movement, particularly below the top tier candidates. Issues and personalities are coming into better focus. And, as the days pass leading to the starting line for actual voting, candidates are seeking to differentiate themselves from one another. While that is a positive exercise when it comes to issues, too often it becomes very personal and destructive.

Pray that all of those seeking the presidency would use the attention they get to lay out their case based on their vision, leadership and positions on the issues. Pray that they would keep personal sniping at one another to a minimum.

Ask our Heavenly Father to keep them safe in their travels as they log tens of thousands of miles on little sleep, often separated from their families. Ask God to prompt them to be clear headed and honest with themselves and the voters as they regularly evaluate their message and how it is being received. Thank God for the public’s continued deep interest in the race and for an electorate that seems very engaged in the process.

May you and those you love have a blessed Thanksgiving. Gary and I thank our Heavenly Father for you, your interest in our country’s future and your desire to make an impact for the good in the months ahead.