S. 1 Timothy 2:1-3
“… I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior…”
O. Paul urges, begs or pleads with his readers to pray for everyone; that is, to truly intercede for them-even those in positions of authority. God’s desire is that all people will be saved. The benefits of such prayer is not only then salvation for those that rule, but that there would then be provision of a good government.
Paul’s context was that the Roman government was oppressive to the Christian faith; yet he urges his readers to pray for the salvation of these leaders. While government is put in place by God (Romans 13) to keep people from just doing whatever they wanted to do (weather or not it hurt someone else)); there is no promise that Government will always be a “good government.” However praying for those in authority is the key to opening the door of salvation for these leaders which in turn is a key to having “good government.”
A. I will continue to pray/intercede each morning for people that I connect with. Further, I will ramp up my prayer efforts and continue to actively observe 21 days of prayer in August and January as well as remembering and interceding for those in position of authority.
P. Thank you Father for the instruction and encouragement to pray for all people. Give me wisdom, insight and a resolve to make this a priority each day. In Jesus’ name!
