“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, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-4 NIV)
It is finally decision day for the United States. Today the majority of citizens go to the polls to elect a president, a new Congress, state governors, state legislators, and other state and local officials. By tonight or early tomorrow morning, we should know who our leaders will be. And then the only responsibility left for us is this: to pray for them.
Many will find this difficult if their candidate loses. If social media is any indication, there is a lot of disgust and even hatred for the opposing candidates. It will be much easier to despise and mock them than to pray for them, just as it has been during the past four years.
It is always easier to pray for those we love, for those with whom we have a connection or a history, for those with whom we share similar values and concerns; yet the context of Paul’s letter to Timothy challenges us to stretch ourselves beyond what is comfortable and easy.
The emperor of Rome at the time of Paul’s writing was the infamous Nero, who had his first wife beheaded because she was unable to bear him a child, who crucified followers of Jesus and then set them on fire to light his garden, and who burned Rome and blamed believers as a means to destroy them once and for all. When Paul urges Timothy to pray for “all kings and those in authority,” he was not living in some alternate universe where leaders were docile and kind. He was living under the ruthless rule of Nero!
Think about that. During the past 18 months, billions of dollars have been spent trying to convince us how bad the other candidate is and why he or she should not get our vote. Countless tweets and Facebook posts have been made mocking Obama or Romney. Countless hours have been spent in debating why one or the other should be elected and the other should not. But how much time has been spent in prayer for these men and women who lead us or seek to?
Regardless of who wins the election today, whether the ones you voted for or not, you have the responsibility to pray for those elected to lead our nation, your state, and your local community. You may think he or she is a liar, a cheat, or is going to lead in the wrong direction, but surely that leader could be no worse than Nero. If Paul urged Timothy to pray for the likes of him, then there is no excuse for any of us not to do the same.
© Jim Musser 2012
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