By: Dale Weckbacher
1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I
urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for
all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high
positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified
in every way.
(ESV)
For those having strong political opinions, the thought of
praying for an ungodly president, king, or some other high government official
seems to go against our opinions.
However, the promise of a peaceful and quiet life is appealing for that
is where God wants to lead us (Psalm
23:1-2). As a force for prayer, the
church body must pray for both the Godly and ungodly for in doing so, the
church will enjoy a quiet and peaceful relationship with God who sent His Son
Jesus to die for the ungodly (Romans
5:8).
James
5:13-20 illustrates that prayer is more than just some spiritual activity
or ritual but something with great and miraculous power. We pray for ungodly leaders not out of
agreement with their ungodliness but prayer that the Holy Spirit will convict
them of their ungodliness knowing that the Holy Spirit has the power to bring
about transformation in their lives. The
life of Peter in the Bible provides an example of such a transformation that occurred
between his denial of Christ and his powerful and bold sermon on the Day of
Pentecost. What happened in Peter’s life
was an encounter with the risen Christ and empowerment by the Holy Spirit in
the upper room. Some things the Church
as a powerful force for prayer should pray for are,
1)
Repentance of any personal sin in our lives –
Revival begins with those in the church.
The world influenced by Satan the deceiver is quick to point out any
hypocrisy in the life of a Christian.
Granted, Christians are human and will act up with God providing
forgiveness (1
John 1:9). The example Christians
must demonstrate is one of being quick to repent of their sins to God and tell
anyone harmed by their sin they are genuinely sorry. Not just a surface apology when caught doing
something wrong, but a heartfelt sorry with a desire not to do it again. This is especially true between believers for
we must work in unity to bring revival.
2)
That we would treasure our relationship with God
– The words we speak come from the treasure of our hearts (Luke
6:45). Not only are the lost in the
world looking at the actions of Christians but they also pay attention to the
words Christians speak. While this is a
big responsibility, it is also an opportunity for one that treasures their
relationship with God to speak words from that treasure that plant seeds of the
Gospel in the hearts of the lost. As we
practice the spiritual disciplines of meditation on the Word of God and prayer,
our hearts will begin to treasure a deeper relationship with God. As we speak from this treasure, we will speak
words that may appeal to someone seeking peace in their lives opening opportunities
to share the Gospel with them.
3)
For political leaders that lead from a heart
that treasures God – A community led by a godly leader allows the church to
function with a minimum of government interference. However, political leaders are often ungodly
but 1
Timothy 2:2 reminds us that we still must pray for these leaders. Prayers for these ungodly leaders should be
prayers asking God to send advisors that will show these leaders that the
Church is not the enemy of the state but an ally. Even ungodly leaders like King Cyrus can make
godly decisions (2
Chronicles 36:22-23). It is not a
stretch of the imagination to believe the Lord stirred up the spirit of King
Cyrus because of the prayers of the Israelites in exile.
4)
That God would open doors of opportunity to
share the Gospel – The mission of the Church is actually a simple mission,
spread the Gospel and make disciples (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). However,
executing this mission places the church in a spiritual war, requiring special
weapons and a foundation of prayer (Ephesians
6:10-20). This makes prayer more
than just an exercise and item to check off the to-do-list but a continual
process that keeps the church in continuous communication with God, receiving
direction and guidance.
An ungodly world needs Jesus with the role of the church as
ambassadors given the mission of bringing the message of the Gospel to an
ungodly world. To do this, the church
must become a force of prayer, empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring the
transformative message of the Gospel to a world in need. Please join me in praying for our own revival
by repenting of any sin, ridding our lives of actions and words that do not
glorify God, praying for our leaders, and open doors of opportunity to share
the Gospel. The quiet and peaceful life
the church can enjoy is the quiet and peace that comes from a life lived in
service to God.
Please join with me in praying for revival and living in
obedience to God, going wherever he leads.
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