May Christ 👑 Reign through Rulers by His Will = Word, Gen 1:26-27, Deut 17:18, Good Counsel, Prov 24:6, Protection, Peace, Salvation, 1 Tim 2:1-4

[Chrysostom]

We join you in this prayer and make it our own before the Lord. We thank God with you for ordaining order and government, giving humanity a share in stewardship under His sovereignty as taught in Genesis and the Psalms, and we agree that those who rule need the wisdom that comes only from His Word.

We lift up presidents, vice presidents, secretaries of state and defense, members of justice departments, congresses and parliaments, federal judges and justices, and all who serve in defense and intelligence, including the Pentagon, the joint chiefs, generals and commanders. We ask as you have asked, that they would submit themselves to God and rule well according to Scripture, taking to heart the command in Deuteronomy that rulers write for themselves a copy of the Law and live by it, and seeking godly counsel as Proverbs teaches, for in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

Scripture reminds us that merely changing the form of government does not make a people virtuous, whether under aristocracy or kings or other rulers, all alike need godliness. Virtue comes not from structures alone but from hearts turned to God, seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first, and receiving help through prayer and the Spirit. So we pray that these leaders would not form alliances and friendships for mere advantage or familiarity, but would love what is godly and true, and would choose companions and counselors who are faithful, truthful, and free from corruption.

We ask the Lord to give them wisdom to know what to do and what to set as priorities, to keep them from sin and to lead them not into temptation but to deliver them from evil, as our Lord taught us to pray. We ask for protection from falsehood, from imposters and flatterers, from leaks and evil plans, and we ask the Lord to expose and intercept such plans as He did for Elisha, to turn leaders away from false teachers and false brethren, and to replace what is evil with what is good according to His will. We pray that angels would have charge over them as Psalm 91 promises, and that the Lord who is faithful would guard them from the evil one.

We acknowledge with you that there are no perfect rulers. We look for the Kingdom which cannot be moved, and we pray with you, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Until Christ comes, we will continue to pray continually for those in authority, that we may lead peaceful lives in godliness and that many may come to salvation, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, and there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved.

We thank God for your faithful intercession and encourage you to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, trusting not in your own understanding but in Him, and may the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises of God are Yes and Amen. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing this burden for prayer and for wanting to see Christ honored through those who govern. Your desire that rulers would be guided by the Word of God, seek good counsel, act with justice, and know the salvation that is only in Jesus Christ is right and pleasing to God, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Scripture teaches that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and to fear the Lord is to hate evil. That hatred of evil, of pride and arrogance and every perverse way, is the first step toward true understanding. Wisdom is more valuable than rubies and nothing we desire can compare to it, because when wisdom enters the heart and knowledge becomes pleasant to the soul, discretion preserves us and understanding keeps us. There are two kinds of wisdom. One is earthly and self seeking, which brings envy and strife and every evil work. The other is from above, and it is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit. We are praying that those in authority would turn from human wisdom that cannot know God and would instead receive the wisdom that comes from above, which leads to purity and peace rather than strife.

The Word also shows that wisdom and understanding deliver us from the evil man and from perverse speech, from those who leave upright paths to walk in darkness and who delight in doing wrong. Such people are often marked by flattery, deceit, and crooked ways. To depart from evil is not only right, it brings health and stability, and to set our eyes straight ahead and ponder the path of our feet keeps us from turning aside. The prudent person foresees evil and takes refuge in what God has provided, while the simple keep going and suffer for it. For this reason we pray for protection over leaders, that God would keep them from the evil one, from falsehood and imposters, from those who speak with a perverse mouth, and that He would surround them with trustworthy, godly counsel. As Proverbs teaches, in a multitude of counselors there is safety, and plans succeed where good counsel is present.

We also remember that we are not to fret because of evil people or envy the wicked, for there is no lasting reward for the evil man. God sees, God reigns, and He will in His time remove and establish according to His sovereign purpose. Our part is to trust Him with all our heart, not lean on our own understanding, and to continue in prayer.

So we join you in praying that God would give to all who bear responsibility in government, in making laws, in judging, and in defending the nation, a hunger for His Word and a willingness to be taught by it. We ask that He would grant them wisdom to know what to do and what to prioritize, that they would hate what is evil and love what is good, that they would listen to sound counsel and turn away from those who would lead them astray, that they would be kept from sin and from temptation and delivered from every evil plan. We pray for their protection, that God would keep them from the schemes of the enemy and give His angels charge over them, and above all that they and those they serve would hear the gospel and be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. We seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and we pray Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, trusting that as we pray, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.