1 Timothy 2:1-4(NKJV) 1Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I am going to depart from my theme somewhat today. We will return to our study of Mark 11 and acting on the promises of God next week. Today I want to encourage all who read this blog to pray for those in authority. This is a very important time in the history of the world, and the bible is clear on the role the church should play in whatever nation we live.
2 Chronicles 7:14(NKJV) 14if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This is a very familiar scripture, but I wonder if we accept the ramifications it implies. There is no mention in this verse of the ungodly. There is no mention in this verse of politicians. There is not mention in this verse of the news media. Unless there is something I am missing here, this scripture puts the responsibility for the healing of our land upon those called by His name. We are Christians, little Christs by interpretation. We are those called by the name of the Lord.
Today’s scripture found in 1 Timothy is the New Testament equivalent to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Here Paul tells Timothy that the church needs to pray for kings and all who are in authority. In Paul’s day, the primary “king” was the Emperor of Rome. This man was not godly. He was certainly not Christian. He was the ruler of the time and Paul says to pray for him.
In 2 Chronicles the writer tells us that the repentance and prayers of those who are called by the name of the Lord can heal the land. What is our most important responsibility when it comes to our nation? I believe it is to pray. If we do not pray, we cannot complain about the conditions under which we live. If we pray, God can move in our nation. It does not matter where we live. The promise is the promise. God will heal our land.
This promise does not mean everything will be the way we want it. This promise does not mean life will always be comfortable for us. The promise is that God will heal our land. What that means to us personally is not the issue. The issue is set forth in 1 Timothy. Paul said we should pray for kings and all those in authority so that we can live quiet and peaceable lives, which will enable us to preach the gospel. Verse 4 tells us what God’s real goal is for the healing of our nation. It is God “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
When this year began, the Lord led me to make some changes in our church schedule. One of those changes was for us to take our regular Friday night meeting and use it to focus on prayer for our nation in 2012. It is certainly necessary that we always pray for the nation and those in authority, but we are facing an historic election this year. As I have already stated, we are in a very important time in the history of our nation and in the history of the world. At home, we face some of the most difficult financial times since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. In the world, we see increasing unrest, economic chaos and political uncertainty.
As I was praying about the focus of our prayer meetings, God gave me something very specific to pray. He said, “Pray for the whole will of God to be done in the United States of America in 2012.” He did not say to pray for a particular candidate to win. He did not say to pray for the economy or an agenda. During the course of the year, we have prayed for some of those things, but the focus has been and will continue to be “the full will of God do be done in 2012.
In America, we are approaching the election of our president as well as many members of our legislature. The outcome will determine the course of our nation for decades. There are many things to consider as we vote. We must consider our economy because God cares about the needs of people. We must consider the leadership of the USA in the world. Whether we or others in the world like it or not, what happens in the USA impacts the whole world. We need to consider the future of our society and moral considerations when we go to the poles. All these things are important, but I wonder if we understand what is important to God.
The single most important thing we must consider as we vote is which candidate will better enable us to “live peaceable lives and facilitate the communication of the Gospel to all men. That is what is on God’s heart for the nation. That is what those who are called by his name should be praying for. Who will create an environment that will allow the gospel to be preached to the nation and to the world?
It is very easy to criticize those in government. In truth, many of those in public office deserve criticism. We need to hold them accountable for what they do and what they say. However, if you are a Christian, the bible gives us the mandate to pray above all else. If we pray, the bible guarantees that God will move. If we pray for those in authority, we release the power of God into our nation and it is possible for us to have an atmosphere that will promote the gospel.
Prayer cannot work if it is offered in selfishness. This does not mean that we should not pray for God’s blessing in our personal lives. The bible is full of promises for us as individuals that we can believe for no matter where we live. God promises to meet our needs, to heal our bodies and to give us joy and peace of mind regardless of what nation we live in. However, when we pray for the nation, we cannot simply pray for what we want. We must believe God for our nation to fulfill its place in the plan of God for the world.
I believe we are living in the latter part of the church age. I do not pretend to know when Jesus will return, but the bible is clear that that day will come. When it does, I want to know that I have contributed with my prayer life to preparing the way for Jesus’ return. For that to happen, I must be willing to pray for the will of the Lord to be done in my nation.
2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us a good “voter’s guided.” We should humble ourselves, seek the Lord’s face, turn from our wicked ways and pray. When we do, God will hear from heaven and he will heal our land. He will see to it that it is on course to fulfill its place in his plan for the world.
1 Timothy 2 tells us the most important issue we must consider on election day. Who will create the best atmosphere for the preaching of the Gospel? That should be the most important thing to consider as we vote.
No matter what nation you may live in, the most important thing you must do is pray for those in authority. This can be hard when those in authority seem to be evil, but it is what the bible says. We need to pray for their blessing. We need to pray for them to walk in Godly wisdom. We need to pray for their protection. We need to pray for God’s full will to be accomplished in the nation. When we pray that way, God is free to do whatever is necessary to “heal our land” and provide the proper atmosphere for the preaching of the gospel.
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