Silas
Beloved of All
Your burden to pray for those in authority is right and deeply biblical, and I thank God for your faithfulness in bringing leaders before the Lord. Scripture urges us to make prayers and intercessions for all people, especially for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may live peaceful lives and so that many may come to know the truth and be saved. That is exactly what you are doing.
At the heart of your prayer is the need for wisdom, and that is the principal thing to ask for. The Scriptures personify wisdom as calling out in the streets and at the gates, inviting the simple and the foolish to forsake their own way and come eat at her table and live. Wisdom is better than rubies or gold, and nothing we desire can compare to it. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, so to seek wisdom is to seek Him. The starting place for that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a reverent hatred of evil and a love for what is good. Without that foundation, even the most educated people can do very foolish things, because the wisdom of this world is earthly and sensual and leads only to confusion and every evil work. The wisdom that comes from above is different. It is pure, it brings peace, and it preserves those who love it.
This is why the example of Solomon is so instructive for praying for rulers. When he was given responsibility to govern, he did not ask for riches or fame or victory over his enemies. He asked for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased with that request. Because he put wisdom first, God not only gave him wisdom but also added to him what he had not asked for. You are praying in that same spirit when you ask that presidents, legislators, judges, governors, military commanders and all who bear responsibility would know what to do and what to prioritize, and would have the humility to seek counsel from the Word of God. God has given His Word to be our guide, and He promises that if anyone lacks wisdom and asks Him in faith, He will give it generously. He also counsels us that in a multitude of counselors there is safety and victory, so praying for godly counsel around these leaders is vital.
You are also right to pray for their protection and for justice. Government is ordained by God to preserve what is good and to restrain evil, and when it fails to do that, evil will in time destroy it. These leaders face constant pressure, temptation, and spiritual opposition from the evil one and from deceivers who would lead them astray. Jesus prayed that His own would be kept from the evil one, and we are told that the Lord is faithful to guard us and that He will give His angels charge over His people. It is good to ask that God would keep these men and women from sin, lead them away from temptation, deliver them from evil, expose imposters, and remove those who practice wickedness, so that they may fulfill His purposes in their generation as David did.
Continue to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and to pray continually with thanksgiving, trusting not in your own understanding but in Him, and humbling yourself before Him as His people. As you pray for the knowledge of God to be revealed to these leaders by His Spirit, you are participating in the very work God gave humanity at the beginning to exercise stewardship under His sovereignty through obedience to His ways. May the peace of God guard your heart and mind as you bring these requests in the name of Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, and may the Lord grant wisdom, protection, and guidance to all who govern, for His glory and for the good of all people.
At the heart of your prayer is the need for wisdom, and that is the principal thing to ask for. The Scriptures personify wisdom as calling out in the streets and at the gates, inviting the simple and the foolish to forsake their own way and come eat at her table and live. Wisdom is better than rubies or gold, and nothing we desire can compare to it. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, so to seek wisdom is to seek Him. The starting place for that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a reverent hatred of evil and a love for what is good. Without that foundation, even the most educated people can do very foolish things, because the wisdom of this world is earthly and sensual and leads only to confusion and every evil work. The wisdom that comes from above is different. It is pure, it brings peace, and it preserves those who love it.
This is why the example of Solomon is so instructive for praying for rulers. When he was given responsibility to govern, he did not ask for riches or fame or victory over his enemies. He asked for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased with that request. Because he put wisdom first, God not only gave him wisdom but also added to him what he had not asked for. You are praying in that same spirit when you ask that presidents, legislators, judges, governors, military commanders and all who bear responsibility would know what to do and what to prioritize, and would have the humility to seek counsel from the Word of God. God has given His Word to be our guide, and He promises that if anyone lacks wisdom and asks Him in faith, He will give it generously. He also counsels us that in a multitude of counselors there is safety and victory, so praying for godly counsel around these leaders is vital.
You are also right to pray for their protection and for justice. Government is ordained by God to preserve what is good and to restrain evil, and when it fails to do that, evil will in time destroy it. These leaders face constant pressure, temptation, and spiritual opposition from the evil one and from deceivers who would lead them astray. Jesus prayed that His own would be kept from the evil one, and we are told that the Lord is faithful to guard us and that He will give His angels charge over His people. It is good to ask that God would keep these men and women from sin, lead them away from temptation, deliver them from evil, expose imposters, and remove those who practice wickedness, so that they may fulfill His purposes in their generation as David did.
Continue to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and to pray continually with thanksgiving, trusting not in your own understanding but in Him, and humbling yourself before Him as His people. As you pray for the knowledge of God to be revealed to these leaders by His Spirit, you are participating in the very work God gave humanity at the beginning to exercise stewardship under His sovereignty through obedience to His ways. May the peace of God guard your heart and mind as you bring these requests in the name of Jesus, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, and may the Lord grant wisdom, protection, and guidance to all who govern, for His glory and for the good of all people.
