Mensa Otabil - Pray for Those In Authority
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We’re in the New Testament, specifically in 1 Timothy, chapter 2, discussing prayer. So let’s hear the reading: «Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.»
I’m paying attention to verse 2, as I discussed verse 1 yesterday. A vital aspect of our prayer life is praying for the state, praying for civil authority. We see that in the New Testament, we are encouraged to not only pray for the state but also to be committed to the state in areas like taxation and honoring the laws of our nation.
You have to consider the context within which Paul is writing. At the time Paul wrote this, Christianity was suffering greatly because Christians were being persecuted; the government did not like them, and some people had been arrested. The natural inclination might have been for Paul to encourage prayer against civil authority, but he didn’t say that. He said we should pray for kings and for all in authority so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all reverence.
This means that our prayer commitment is not affected by how we are treated. We may not like what occurs in civil authority, but we have a commitment to pray for civil authority-not from a partisan political perspective, but from a spiritual obligation to the nation that God has placed us in. So why does Paul tell us to pray for authorities? Because God establishes civil authority. Today, we call them presidents, governors, or prime ministers, but God establishes them, and He uses them. They are instruments in God’s hands, and there are things He wants to do in a nation that He accomplishes through the established governmental system. That’s why we pray for the nation; we can’t all govern it-somebody or some group is entrusted with that responsibility. If we want to live a peaceable life, those people better make the right decisions on our behalf, which is why we pray for them.
We also pray so that the Holy Spirit can influence what happens in a nation. This doesn’t mean that the leaders even believe in God, the Holy Spirit, or respect the Holy Spirit, but God has historically intervened in governments where the people were completely opposed to Him. Nebuchadnezzar was influenced by God, the Pharaohs of Egypt were influenced by God, and King Abed-Malek of the Philistines was influenced by God. All these leaders were godless individuals, yet they ended up doing the will of God.
Kings Darius and Cyrus were influenced by God as well. So when we pray for civil authority, it may not necessarily lead to the conversion of the authority, but Paul states it is so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. This implies that the quality of life we experience in a nation is also influenced by the prayers we offer for all civil authorities. If you are in a country like Ghana, this means praying for parliament, the cabinet, the presidency, municipal chief executives, and all kinds of corporate heads who make decisions affecting each one of us. Instead of leaving them to their own devices, we place them in the hands of the Lord.
The Lord, who influences all things, will speak to them, guide them, and bring circumstances their way that will nurture them, even if they may not want to do so. God has a way of nudging each one of us into His will, like a shepherd guiding his sheep, corralling us into the center of His will. Paul says when you pray, pray for all men, which is good, but also pray for those whose decisions affect you, including your parents, your bosses, and all those whose decisions impact your life so that you and I may lead a quiet and peaceable life. That is why we pray for civil authority.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for the leaders of our world. Use them to work out Your purposes on Earth. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.