Start # 333

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

  Paul’s instructions to Timothy, the young preacher, fits very well for us today. He wanted Timothy to pray. That is something we all can do. Not all can preach. Not all can lead. But we can all pray. Prayer shouldn’t be looked upon as the last thing you turn to after you have exhausted all other possibilities, instead, it ought to be our first choice. Bring God into the situation. Invite God. Solicit God’s help. That’s what prayer does.

  Paul gives us four words here: entreaties, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings. The word “entreaties” means to entreat, to ask. In some prayers, not all prayers, we are asking God for help, we are entreating Him. We are dependent upon God. We can’t get through without God’s help. There are some things, in fact there are many things, that are bigger than we are.

  The word “prayers” is the generic word for talking to God. Entreaties is a form of prayer.

  The word “petitions” is translated “intercessions” in other versions. It is the prayer we offer for someone else. It’s not just our problems, but others that we need God’s help with.

  The final word, “thanksgivings” is often neglected in our prayer life. It is to “thank God.” Thank God for life, for Jesus, for hope, for the answer of earlier prayers. There is much to be thankful for.

  Paul doesn’t stop there. Within this sentence he continues to tell Timothy that he needs to pray for kings and all who are in authority. In Timothy’s world that would have included the powerful Roman government, including the Caesars. They were not nice people. They were violent, oppressive and not known for being honoring human rights. Paul wanted Timothy to pray for those “kings.” There was a reason behind this. Ultimately, it would affect the disciples. The goal was so that they could worship, live and serve God in peace.

  Now this comes to us. It’s easy to complain about Congress, gripe about the President, and generally have a soul disposition toward all politicians. Maybe they’ve earned it. Maybe they have forgotten what they are supposed to do. Whatever our political slant may be, our first persuasion is toward God. We want what God wants. We want all people, everywhere to come to know Jesus Christ. We need to pray for kings and all who are in authority. We need to ask God to touch their hearts, to open their eyes and to lead them to righteous ways.

  Praying for someone you may not like isn’t easy. This isn’t the first time this comes up in our Bibles. Remember Jesus telling the disciples to pray for your enemies and those that persecute you. That’s hard to do. It’s easy to pray for your friends, your church, your family. But those that you don’t care about, we’d just as soon ignore them. Our inclination is to keep God to ourselves and not allow them to have access to “Our” God. That’s just human nature I suppose. That’s why Christ doesn’t want us to be stuck on “human nature” but on “God’s nature.” 

  Praying for someone you don’t like. To pray for their well being, to pray for them to find Christ, it takes a lot of character to do that, but once you have, you tend to see your enemy in a different way. Give this some thought. Who is someone that you really don’t like? It may be the President. It may be a neighbor. It may be someone in the family. Have you prayed for them, and I don’t mean, praying that a giant rock lands on them. Praying for them as God wants you to. Praying that their heart will change. Praying that they will become Christ like.

  Maybe, we’ve kept prayer to ourselves all this time. Maybe it’s about time we started praying for others…for those who serve in the government…and for those who we don’t like. Praying for others, tends to ease the lines of jealously and hatred. It can mend broken fences. It can build relationships. More than that, it can help our hearts. Not liking others leads to hatred, ill will and a host of other ugly words. It’s certainly not like Jesus. He loved. Upon the cross He prayed for those putting Him to death. When ridiculed, He didn’t respond. They may have hated Jesus, but Jesus didn’t hate them. That’s the steps we need to follow.

  It begins by praying for all, including the kings and the governors, and it includes praying for those who don’t like you. Try it today. It will help, because you are asking God to get involved.

Roger