Under Authority, Praying for Leaders

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence,” 1 Tim. 2:2.

In this single verse, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use four of the seven words for prayer found in the New Testament. Although synonymous, each word carries significant meaning. Such praying must therefore be vitally important.

Whereas obedience unto God’s word is the requirement for and evidence of all committed Christians, the question of why presents itself: Why does God’s Word note such specificity regarding “kings and all who are in authority” over us?

According to Romans 13:1, Christians are “to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” That passage continues to note that those who are against the government are really against what God has commanded and will elicit punishment on themselves. Verse three says that those who do right do not have to fear our rulers, but only those who do wrong fear them. “Then do what is right, and they will praise you.”

Sadly, though, we live in a day when good is considered evil and evil, good. Today, Christians are not praised by government leaders. Christians are abused, maligned, defrauded, punished, attacked, and even imprisoned for behaving righteously. Well, Solomon was right, there is nothing new under the sun, (Eccl. 1:9).

Paul penned this letter to Timothy during the heinous reign of Rome’s nefarious Nero, but Paul urged Timothy (and us) to pray for all people generally, and for those in authority, specifically. It is true. Even when we cannot respect men or women in God-ordained positions of authority, we must respect their offices and pray for the leaders who occupy them. God’s children are not responsible for the abuses of power but we are required to pray for the abusers.

But wait. There’s more. The verse in question clearly states why Christians must pray for those who are in authority. It is so that we may “live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

The goals for such praying is not primarily for our leaders, but for us, God’s children. This does not guarantee our lives will peaceful and tranquil. But whatever the conditions the Church encounters, godliness and holiness will reflect our prayer life and how we live out our Faith in the public arena.

Jesus said we should always pray and never give up, (Luke 18:1). And “pray without ceasing” is the command from 1 Thess. 5:17. Whatever we face, the commands to pray are not conditional upon circumstances, but are prescriptive for everyday life whether good or ill.