Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for those in authority and for those who serve is right and good, and it follows the clear instruction of Scripture to offer prayers, petitions, intercession and thanksgiving for all who bear responsibility, so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and dignity, and so that the way may remain open for the gospel to go forward, for God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The burden you carry for wisdom for leaders is especially needed. Scripture presents wisdom as the principal thing, more to be desired than riches or position, and calls us to get wisdom and with all our getting to get understanding. Wisdom is pictured as crying out in the open, in the streets and at the gates, inviting all who will listen. That invitation is ultimately the voice of the Lord himself, for in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. To seek wisdom is to seek Him.
Scripture shows us how to seek it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It starts with reverence for God and submission to His word. We see this in the example of Solomon, who when given opportunity to ask for anything, asked for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased to grant it and to add what he had not asked for. That remains the pattern. When those in authority lack wisdom, no amount of knowledge or strategy can make up for it, and when they are given wisdom from above, it preserves and keeps them and those entrusted to them.
There are two kinds of wisdom spoken of in the Bible, and your prayers rightly discern between them. There is a wisdom that is earthly and self serving, marked by envy and strife, and it comes to nothing. History proves this again and again. And there is wisdom from above, which is pure, peace loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit. You can recognize it by what it produces. The wisdom of the world did not lead people to know God, but God made a way through the cross of Christ, which the world calls foolishness, to save those who believe. Our faith is not to rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. So as you pray for commanders, troops, officials and all who lead, pray that they would turn from mere human cleverness and be given the wisdom that comes from God, which leads to righteousness, justice and equity.
That prayer is tied directly to the proclamation of the gospel. The good news of the kingdom is that Jesus came, died and rose again, and calls all to repent and believe. The gospel is meant to go into all the world and bear fruit, changing lives and nations where it is truly received. A peaceful order where there is freedom to speak and to hear the truth serves that purpose, not as an end in itself but so that the message of salvation may be proclaimed openly and effectively. Continue to pray for that open door.
You also pray for protection, and Scripture gives you ground for that prayer. The Lord promises that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them, that He gives His angels charge over His people, and that He is able to deliver from the evil one. We are reminded to put on the full armor of God and to stand against the spiritual forces of evil, praying at all times with all kinds of prayer. Your intercession, your thanksgiving, and even your praise strengthen that stand. As you pray, ask not only for physical safety for those who serve, but for their salvation and guidance, that they would be led not into temptation but delivered from evil, that evil plans would be exposed and restrained, and that confusion would come upon every counsel that opposes what is good and true.
Thank you for being faithful to intercede in this way. Keep bringing these requests before the throne of grace with thanksgiving, trusting that God hears the prayers of His people and that He is able to grant wisdom to those who ask Him, to guard those who trust Him, and to advance His gospel for His glory. May the Lord grant wisdom and understanding to all who lead, keep those who serve under His hand, and cause His name to be praised from the rising of the sun to its setting. In Jesus name, amen.
The burden you carry for wisdom for leaders is especially needed. Scripture presents wisdom as the principal thing, more to be desired than riches or position, and calls us to get wisdom and with all our getting to get understanding. Wisdom is pictured as crying out in the open, in the streets and at the gates, inviting all who will listen. That invitation is ultimately the voice of the Lord himself, for in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. To seek wisdom is to seek Him.
Scripture shows us how to seek it. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It starts with reverence for God and submission to His word. We see this in the example of Solomon, who when given opportunity to ask for anything, asked for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased to grant it and to add what he had not asked for. That remains the pattern. When those in authority lack wisdom, no amount of knowledge or strategy can make up for it, and when they are given wisdom from above, it preserves and keeps them and those entrusted to them.
There are two kinds of wisdom spoken of in the Bible, and your prayers rightly discern between them. There is a wisdom that is earthly and self serving, marked by envy and strife, and it comes to nothing. History proves this again and again. And there is wisdom from above, which is pure, peace loving, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit. You can recognize it by what it produces. The wisdom of the world did not lead people to know God, but God made a way through the cross of Christ, which the world calls foolishness, to save those who believe. Our faith is not to rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. So as you pray for commanders, troops, officials and all who lead, pray that they would turn from mere human cleverness and be given the wisdom that comes from God, which leads to righteousness, justice and equity.
That prayer is tied directly to the proclamation of the gospel. The good news of the kingdom is that Jesus came, died and rose again, and calls all to repent and believe. The gospel is meant to go into all the world and bear fruit, changing lives and nations where it is truly received. A peaceful order where there is freedom to speak and to hear the truth serves that purpose, not as an end in itself but so that the message of salvation may be proclaimed openly and effectively. Continue to pray for that open door.
You also pray for protection, and Scripture gives you ground for that prayer. The Lord promises that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them, that He gives His angels charge over His people, and that He is able to deliver from the evil one. We are reminded to put on the full armor of God and to stand against the spiritual forces of evil, praying at all times with all kinds of prayer. Your intercession, your thanksgiving, and even your praise strengthen that stand. As you pray, ask not only for physical safety for those who serve, but for their salvation and guidance, that they would be led not into temptation but delivered from evil, that evil plans would be exposed and restrained, and that confusion would come upon every counsel that opposes what is good and true.
Thank you for being faithful to intercede in this way. Keep bringing these requests before the throne of grace with thanksgiving, trusting that God hears the prayers of His people and that He is able to grant wisdom to those who ask Him, to guard those who trust Him, and to advance His gospel for His glory. May the Lord grant wisdom and understanding to all who lead, keep those who serve under His hand, and cause His name to be praised from the rising of the sun to its setting. In Jesus name, amen.
