Skip to main content

Pray for Him? Pray For Them?


       I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. (I Timothy 2:1-8)
 
          Oh, no. Politics. Do we have to? Doesn’t the Constitution say something about separation of Church and State? The reality is that the Constitution does have something to say about the separation of Church and State, but what it says is the opposite of what people claim today. It says that the State may not establish a state religion or interfere with the practice of any religion. This means that what the Bible says in this passage is entirely acceptable: we have the right to fulfill our Biblical responsibility to pray for our leaders. We should pray for their salvation, their sanctification; their physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual well-being, their wisdom, their endurance, their safety, and anything else that would enable those leaders to guide us in a way that allows us to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t like Mr. Obama or that I’m not fond of Mr. Trump, or how you felt or feel about them. It also doesn’t matter what we think of Congress, the Supreme Court, or the various branches of our state and local governments. We are to pray that they will be good leaders.
          God’s goal isn’t for us to have heaven on earth. God’s goal is for all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. He sent Joseph to teach Pharaoh. He sent Moses to another Pharaoh. He sent Jonah to the Ninevites. He sent Daniel to the Medes and Persians and to the Babylonians. He sent Esther to Xerxes. He doesn’t put His people in charge. He puts other people in charge, and then sends His people to work for them. More often than not, those He sends diligently worked for the well-being of their employers/masters. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Jesus told his disciples that if anyone wants to be first, he must be last, the servant of all. (Mark 9:35) 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more