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. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
As people of God, we also need to be people of prayer. These verses in 1 Timothy give us a guide as to what that should look like, as Paul is giving advice to Timothy for his congregation. Paul’s priorities are:
- Petitions – making requests for specific needs.
- Prayers – brining people before the throne of God.
- Intercession – appealing boldly on their behalf.
- Thanksgiving – offering thankfulness for them.
This advice from Paul is solely focused on other people. Notice that it is not just some specific group of people or some specific person, but ALL people, including those in authority. I think we tend to struggle with this idea as followers of Jesus, particualrly for those people who have wronged us or don’t agree with some aspect of our ideology. However, Paul is very clear here that we are to pray for ALL people in order to live peaceful and quite lives in godliness and holiness. The question for us to consider is if the people of God took these verses to heart, would we see more peace and justice around us? Would we see more people living godly and holy lives? I don’t know the answer, but Paul is on to something here. As the church, we are to be a people of prayer above all else, including prayer for ALL people.
Praying for the Church to impact lives for God’s glory and Kingdom,
~ Pastor Todd