Prayers, Obama, and Peace.  1 Timothy 2.1-2

Hello, 

It is easy to take shots at the president—criticize him, I mean.  Yet, in all of the church services, prayer meetings and Bible studies I have attended, I do not remember ever hearing anyone pray for him—truly.  Why not?  Here at the start of the second chapter, Paul urged his young gun to pray for all people, and then made special mention of a group of people.  Take a look:

“I urge you,’ he writes to Timothy, ‘first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2.1-2

‘But I do not agree with President Obama’s politics,’ you say.  Okay, but there was no footnote attached to Paul’s instruction for Timothy to pray for the ‘king’, nor is there a footnote of release for us and our president or governor … you and your African president …  your Swedish parliament … or English queen—frankly, their politics have nothing to do with the Bible’s instruction: submit¹ and pray.  Paul tells Timothy that we should pray for those who are in authority over us that we might know peace, quiet, godliness and dignity.  [For Timothy, that meant that he would pray for Nero … evil, cruel Nero, emperor of Rome, who delighted in the torture of Christians.  Interesting that Paul instructed Timothy to be faithful in praying for Nero, who is believed to be the one who ordered Paul’s beheading!]  Any way, since all four of these qualities—peace and quiet, godliness and dignity--seem to be evaporating in our world today, could it be in part because God’s people have not faithfully prayed?  I believe so.

Why don’t we pray more?  Perhaps it is because we have a small view of God.  We go to church on Sunday … some of us, sometimes … and then we leave God there.  He is kinda small, kinda impotent at the very least, confined—and to some, just one of a number of spiritual pathways that are hanging around out there in today’s polytheistic world, but he is safe because we leave him in that controlled sterile church setting—that way he won’t interfere with our regular life.  That is until … tragedy hits, and then somehow, we know deep inside ourselves that there has to be a great big God out there somewhere, and we pray he is good!  And that he will come and do a great big thing… and well, if he doesn’t, we’re in trouble. 

Huh, I remember a Thursday about 10 years ago, when I was handed a letter written by a local businesswoman who was my age, and had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer.  She wanted prayers, good thoughts, healing therapies, Chinese herbal remedies… well, anything that she might throw at her terminal problem that just might save her life! 

I keenly remember holding that letter in my hand; it might as well have caught fire!  I knew that I had to respond …oh yes, I had to get a hold of the writer, and offer to pray for her; after all, God had miraculously healed my two-year-old son, (when the doctors could not help him) as a response to prayer, so how could I do anything else?  Of course, I had to go and pray for the sick lady … right?  So, I got a phone number, went to her house about 8 oclock in the evening on what had already been a long day.  I am telling you the truth now; I did what God called me to do -- go, lay hands, pray -- ask for healing, in faith, leave the outcome in his hands. 

Do you know that God came and healed that girl?!

         Oh, this space really cannot contain the whole of her story, nor can it contain the greatness of God!  See, it is not the words we pray, or getting everything just right . . . it is the position of our heart that God reads. 

So, start talking to him.  If you haven’t for awhile, say ‘hello’ again; he remembers you quite well.  If you never have, he has been waiting to hear from you.  He knows all about you … how you think, what you worry about, the things you love … why, no one has ever known you more intimately. 

So go ahead …

   Pray for others,

      Pray for those who govern you—whoever they may be . . . pray for peace.

          And pray for yourself, that God will come and do a new thing in you!

 Christine