Do you ever feel tongue-tied when you start to pray? You don’t know what to say? You wonder if God will answer? We are confident God hears us when we pray. Sometimes he changes our circumstances; sometimes he changes us, from the inside out.
Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. Timothy had been taught by his mother and grandmother about God, from a very young age, and he had worked with Paul as Paul traveled through present-day Turkey. When Paul wrote this letter, Timothy was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, and Paul was already on his way to Rome. This letter was to encourage Timothy while Paul was unable to be there.
Paul urges Timothy to pray for all the people – not only for the people of his own church, or for the people of Ephesus who don’t yet know God. Timothy is urged to pray for kings and those in authority, too. As Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7)
Jesus commanded us to “Go and make disciples,” to share the gospel with the people in our own city, our own state, our own country, and all the world. When we pray for prosperity for our leaders and our nation, it’s not to add money to our bank accounts. As Paul told Timothy, it is so that we can live peaceful and holy lives, lives that show the love of God to all people. When we pray for our loved ones and neighbors to know God, let’s include our leaders in those prayers.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for hearing me when I pray. I can rest, without anxiety and fear, because I know you are working in my life. I pray for my leaders, these men and women you have put into authority over me. I pray that you would turn their hearts to you, that they would know your love and peace, and that they would follow you. Give me the strength to live in such a way that your love is easy to see. Amen.