“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4
This is a hard discipline in today’s hyper-partisan atmosphere! It’s hard to pray for people we fundamentally disagree with in every way, and yet there are certainly some of those at the federal, state, or local level for just about all of us! Followers of Jesus must never let our earthly political affiliation outweigh our obedience to Christ’s command that we pray for leaders at every level of government and of every political persuasion. We must pray for them faithfully today and pray for them faithfully in a few months even if they are completely different people!
This shouldn’t ever be about politics. This is about pleasing God, living as godly ambassadors in this fallen world, praying for the peace of the church in an increasingly un-peaceful society, and advancing the Kingdom of God. Here Paul explicitly links praying for leaders, including those friendly to the church AND those hostile to traditional Christianity, to the saving of many. We long for another great spiritual awakening to sweep across our country, but are we diligently offering the prayers God commands us to pray that are linked to such an awakening?