Prayer For Our Leaders

Join the 40 Day Prayer Challenge or text Prayer40 to 44222

I can’t think of any time in the recent history of our country when we’ve needed prayer more. We are dealing with a once-in-a-century pandemic. We have been dealing with civil unrest and issues of racial justice. We are dealing with our past history of racial discrimination, and still suffering from that legacy. We are also on the verge of a presidential election that highlights some of the disagreements and differences that we have.

We need to pray and intercede for our country, particularly on the latter point of the civic arena. The verse that I want to share is from 1 Timothy 2:1-3, where Paul is writing to the man he calls his “son in the faith,” someone who essentially was like a spiritual son to him. Paul says:

I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men— for kings and for all who are in authority, so that we might lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

I think that’s such a beautiful verse because it doesn’t just urge that we intercede, but that there also be thanksgivings and expression of appreciation and thanks.

One of the things that I have learned through my civic involvement, that a lot of people may not see because they’re not there behind the scenes, is how much pressure; how much stress;  how much personal sacrifice and how much abuse those who serve in public life are subjected to on both sides of the aisle. It’s a very difficult calling. You are attacked by political opponents, special interests, negative ads, and the media.

We need to be grateful for and thank the people who are willing to do this. It is also significant that Paul says that we pray for all those who are in authority, not just the people we agree with, not just the people we support.

Why? So that we can live in a nation at peace; so that we can live a tranquil life with godliness and dignity, that allows us to share the gospel and support our families. It is not a selfish prayer, but there is an outcome that we personally benefit from. When you look around the world today and you see civil strife, bloodshed and civil war, this is not the norm for humanity. The peace that we have had is because we have prayed for our leaders.

Prayer

Father, we thank you for the privilege and the honor of being American citizens. We know that there are many people around the world that would yearn for and desire to live in the nation that you’ve allowed us to be citizens of.

We thank you most of all for that birthright. We pray that we wouldn’t take it for granted, God, that we would be grateful and that we would treat as the precious gift that it is, our citizenship in the United States of America.

We’re not a perfect nation, God, but we are a nation that was founded by godly men and women who sought to honor you; who sought to place our nation under your Lordship and sought to provide a refuge, a place of safety and peace for people who were oppressed and persecuted all over the world.

To that end, God, just weeks before this election, such an important election with such stark choices, we pray for the President and for the First Lady, especially right now as they battle COVID-19. We pray for the Vice President and his family. We pray for all who advise and serve them, all who are in the Cabinet and in the sub-cabinet and independent agencies. We pray, God, for the Speaker of the House; for our congressional leaders; all those in the House and Senate; all 50 governors and all those serving in state legislatures.

Father, we ask first of all, for their protection; we ask you to bless them. We ask you to give them wisdom and understanding, insight and discernment beyond their own abilities. We pray, God, that you would surround them with wise and godly counsel. We ask you to act upon their minds so that they will be receptive to that godly counsel, and that they will reject those voices that are advising them to do things contrary to Scripture and contrary to your Kingdom.

God, we pray for this election. We ask that your will would be done. We ask that godly men and women would be in office serving not only us, but glorifying and serving You. We ask it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.