“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior….” – 1 Timothy 2:1–3
A doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing one day about which profession of the three was older. “Well,” argued the doctor, “without the role of a physician, mankind could not have survived for all these years. So I’m completely certain that mine is the oldest profession.”
“No,” said the engineer, “even before life began, there was complete chaos in the world. It took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is clearly the older profession.”
As the three sat and pondered on what the engineer had said, a silence filled the air for a few short moments. “But,” chirped the triumphant politician, “who created the chaos?!”
In our world today, people tend to have a generally low view of politicians. That’s because we’re so inundated with negative campaign ads, scandals, and people who will say just about anything to get elected. But this doesn’t take away one bit from our responsibility as Christians to pray for our leaders, whether we voted for them or not!
The apostle Paul wrote today’s passage when there were some very ungodly leaders in power. So follow his example. Pray for our elected leaders, that they would grow in Christ and for wisdom to govern well.
Prayer Challenge
Pray for your elected leaders today—from those who serve locally to our President.
Questions for Thought
Why do you think it’s hard to pray for those in power with whom we have disagreements?
How can you make it a habit to pray for political leaders?