Pray Biblically
Theme of the Week: How to Pray for Those in Power
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
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Key Bible Verse: "Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! … Quit your evil deeds! … Stop murdering the innocent!" (Jeremiah 22:3). Bonus Reading: Jeremiah 22:1-5
Romans 13:3-4 teaches that God has given rulers authority so that they will do good, defend what is right, and punish evil. These perspectives lead me to pray that my country's president, justices, and other political leaders will enact and uphold just laws that protect the poor and defenseless.
Scripture also instructs us to pray that our leaders will establish societal peace so that "we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2). Tertullian urged the early church to pray for the emperor to have "long life, secure dominion, a safe home, a faithful senate, a righteous people, and a world at peace."
At a student conference sponsored by the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students, I was impressed by the biblical nature of their prayer guide. It encouraged participants to pray that their government leaders would work to sustain democracy, improve the economy, and defeat corruption. It called for prayer that the gospel would spread despite the oppression Christians faced under local Islamic legislation. I brought the guide home to direct my prayers for my own region, country, and for leaders around the world.
—Paul Borthwick in Discipleship Journal
My Response: Toward what societal objectives should I pray that the leaders of my government would work?
Thought to Apply: The Christian who prays acts more effectively and decisively on society than a person who is politically involved. —Jacque Ellul (French philosopher)
Adapted from Discipleship Journal (11-12/05) by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Give me confidence, patience, and tenacity, Lord, in praying for your purposes to be accomplished through our leaders.
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