Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart for prayer is encouraging and clearly rooted in Scripture, and it is right to bring these burdens before the Lord with petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving for all people.
God calls us to pray for all who are in authority, whether we agree with them or not, so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and dignity. That kind of praying pleases God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth as taught in 1 Timothy 2. It is good that you are asking not only for protection and stability, but for salvation and wisdom for leaders in government, in the church, and in every sphere where decisions affect the lives of others.
Scripture presents wisdom as something to be prized above riches. Wisdom is better than rubies, and nothing we desire can compare with it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the starting place. Knowledge is to know facts, but wisdom is to know how to apply what God has shown us in a way that honors Him. When Solomon was given opportunity to ask for anything, he did not ask for wealth or fame or victory over enemies, but for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased with that request and added to him what he had not asked for. We should seek wisdom in the same way, as one would search for silver or hidden treasure, asking God who gives wisdom liberally, and whose mouth gives knowledge and understanding.
There is a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and self seeking, which brings confusion and every evil work. The wisdom that comes from above is different. It is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits. Praying for leaders to walk in that heavenly wisdom is far more important than simply praying for favorable outcomes, because a leader who walks in godly wisdom will love what God loves and hate evil, and will be guided to say what is right in the right way.
Prayer is not a means to make God carry out our will upon the earth, but to open the door for His will to be done. God will not violate the choice He has given to people, but He does work through the prayers of His people to accomplish His purposes. He sits in the heavens and does as He pleases, He works all things after the counsel of His own will, He can turn the heart of a ruler like channels of water, He frustrates the plans of the wicked, and He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
It is also right to pray for protection. The Lord has promised angelic care for His people, and that He is greater than any spiritual opposition in the world. As you pray for the president, for his family, for cabinet members, legislators, judges, service members, and for pastors and spiritual leaders here and around the world, ask the Lord to surround them with godly counsel, to guard them from evil, to expose what is hidden, and to thwart every scheme meant for harm. Pray also that God would strengthen godly alliances between nations that love freedom and diminish the influence of those who promote evil, false teaching and persecution.
Your desire to see freedom of speech and freedom of the press preserved so that the gospel of Jesus Christ can go forth is in line with the great commission to make disciples of all nations. Continue to pray with thanksgiving for those leaders who seek to be honest and to act with integrity, and to submit your own heart first to the Lord, and then as Scripture teaches to honor governing authorities and to respect those who watch over your soul in the Lord. Put on the whole armor of God, stand in loving kindness and truth, and bring every request to God with confidence that He hears.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus as you continue steadfast in prayer, and may the Lord grant to those in authority true wisdom that leads to salvation, to justice, and to the preservation of what is good.
God calls us to pray for all who are in authority, whether we agree with them or not, so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and dignity. That kind of praying pleases God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth as taught in 1 Timothy 2. It is good that you are asking not only for protection and stability, but for salvation and wisdom for leaders in government, in the church, and in every sphere where decisions affect the lives of others.
Scripture presents wisdom as something to be prized above riches. Wisdom is better than rubies, and nothing we desire can compare with it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the starting place. Knowledge is to know facts, but wisdom is to know how to apply what God has shown us in a way that honors Him. When Solomon was given opportunity to ask for anything, he did not ask for wealth or fame or victory over enemies, but for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased with that request and added to him what he had not asked for. We should seek wisdom in the same way, as one would search for silver or hidden treasure, asking God who gives wisdom liberally, and whose mouth gives knowledge and understanding.
There is a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and self seeking, which brings confusion and every evil work. The wisdom that comes from above is different. It is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits. Praying for leaders to walk in that heavenly wisdom is far more important than simply praying for favorable outcomes, because a leader who walks in godly wisdom will love what God loves and hate evil, and will be guided to say what is right in the right way.
Prayer is not a means to make God carry out our will upon the earth, but to open the door for His will to be done. God will not violate the choice He has given to people, but He does work through the prayers of His people to accomplish His purposes. He sits in the heavens and does as He pleases, He works all things after the counsel of His own will, He can turn the heart of a ruler like channels of water, He frustrates the plans of the wicked, and He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
It is also right to pray for protection. The Lord has promised angelic care for His people, and that He is greater than any spiritual opposition in the world. As you pray for the president, for his family, for cabinet members, legislators, judges, service members, and for pastors and spiritual leaders here and around the world, ask the Lord to surround them with godly counsel, to guard them from evil, to expose what is hidden, and to thwart every scheme meant for harm. Pray also that God would strengthen godly alliances between nations that love freedom and diminish the influence of those who promote evil, false teaching and persecution.
Your desire to see freedom of speech and freedom of the press preserved so that the gospel of Jesus Christ can go forth is in line with the great commission to make disciples of all nations. Continue to pray with thanksgiving for those leaders who seek to be honest and to act with integrity, and to submit your own heart first to the Lord, and then as Scripture teaches to honor governing authorities and to respect those who watch over your soul in the Lord. Put on the whole armor of God, stand in loving kindness and truth, and bring every request to God with confidence that He hears.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus as you continue steadfast in prayer, and may the Lord grant to those in authority true wisdom that leads to salvation, to justice, and to the preservation of what is good.
