Nena Arias | February 5, 2018
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” 1 Timothy 2:1-3I recently heard an itinerant preacher/speaker say that many churches he has visited lately, who used to pray for the country, have stopped praying for the country. Knowing the importance of prayer, what could have caused that? Did people just get out of the habit? If they care about America, why would they stop praying for it?
Could it be the hostility, animosity, and the hatred especially coming from the media that is causing churches to be afraid and intimidated or has the church just decided to pull back from politics even to the point of no longer praying for America? Have some Christians thought, after the 2016 election, that we have done our job to elect conservative majorities in both houses and put a Republican in the White House, surely the conservatives we elected will do their job so now we can “go on a long vacation” and ease up on the politics for a while?
Pastors are still the leaders. Are pastors afraid to pray out loud for those in authority like the Scriptures say for fear that someone in the congregation will take offense and take their complaint to the media or somehow make it public?
Others are thinking that anytime they bring up the name Donald Trump that they must somehow defend him or that it is an endorsement of who he is. I certainly see how that can be a challenge for Christians especially with the biblical values and principles we must always defend and stand on.
Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, published an article on January 26, 2018 titled “I Support Trump Because He Has Delivered, Not Because He is a Role Model.” He said, “I respect that there are some very frustrated conservatives out there, who the left is seeking to distract and divide. But if we care about the future of our nation, we have to deal in the present. This isn’t blind allegiance on the part of evangelicals. This is reasoned support for a political leader who has made and kept his campaign promises.”
Franklin Graham said this about Donald Trump: “We certainly don’t hold him up as the pastor of this country, and he’s not. But I appreciate the fact that the president does have a concern for Christian values, he does have a concern to protect Christians—whether it’s here at home or around the world—and I appreciate the fact that he protects religious liberty and freedom.”
In Daniel 2:21, he reminds us that when it comes to rulers, it is God who decides these matters. He says: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding…”
I ask you, did you pray before you voted in the 2016 presidential elections? Do you think God heard your prayers along with millions of other Christians who were also praying that God would intervene in the election? Did you consider the alternative? We prayed, researched and did our homework, and then we voted. It is God who gave the outcome. The same is true about all other presidencies, whether good or bad, it is God who does the choosing. It is said that people have the government they deserve. So all presidencies should cause us to take inventory and know what God is saying to us as a nation and what we need to do to get closer to him.
When it comes to praying for our nation and those in authority, this is what the Bible says without exceptions, in 1 Timothy 2:1-3, “ First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”
Our instructions are very clear and there are no exceptions. It does not depend on whether we think our leader is godly enough or not. Again I repeat, it is God who does the choosing and it is God that expects us to pray for our leaders regardless.
You may go to this link of Prayer For America at our website for a wonderful prayer guide and get started in presenting America before our heavenly Father that we may live peaceful and quite lives in our beloved nation.