“Place yourselves under the authority of human governments to please the Lord. Obey the emperor. He holds the highest position of authority. Also obey governors. They are people the emperor has sent to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14 GW).
Before we leave the subject of our relationship to human government, let’s consider the counsel offered by Paul the Apostle to Timothy, the young pastor of the first-century church that met in the town of Ephesus. In 1 Timothy 2:1-3, we read the following…
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– 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” (NIV).
While there may be many who complain about their government, how many of those same individuals are willing to pray for their governmental leaders? For instance, we might ask God to provide judicial leaders with the wisdom and courage to adjudicate wisely. We might pray that God would grant wisdom to elected and appointed officials so they will govern appropriately.
Legislators can also benefit from those who will pray that the laws they enact are good and acceptable in God’s sight. We can pray for the salvation of governmental ministers and ask God to furnish them with advisors who will offer them good counsel. To draw upon a phrase from 1 Timothy 2:3, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior…”
In addition. this call to prayer highlights the need to pray for all who hold positions of governmental authority, regardless of their competence or lack thereof. No matter how effective or ineffective they may be, the desired result remains unchanged: “…that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (AMP).
Finally, in an instance where we must live under governmental leaders who are unprincipled, dishonest, or hostile, we may respectfully approach God with the following question from His Word: “Will you permit a corrupt government to rule under your protection—a government permitting wrong to defeat right?” (Psalms 94:20 TLB).
Any governmental institution that is populated by fallible human beings is one that can benefit from those who pray for them. While it may be easy to criticize the failings of those who hold such leadership positions, we should not neglect our responsibility to pray for them.