The Church's Responsibility to Pray for Government
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:1-4)
In the above passage, the Holy Spirit exhorts the church to pray for heads of state and all those in authority. One of the main roles the church is required to fulfil regarding the governments of nations is to pray for them, for we must not forget that they are God's ministers. The saints should obviously pray for the authorities in the nations where God has placed them.
What specifically should the church pray for when interceding for their governments? The passage in 1 Timothy teaches the church to pray for their nations to be governed in a manner that enables citizens to lead quiet and peaceable lives. More specifically, it calls for prayer that the saints are able to live godly lifestyles in those nations, which clearly implies that the church should pray for no restrictions to be placed on the proclamation of God's word in those nations.
The church's responsibility is to pray for the authorities to govern in accordance with godly wisdom and integrity. It's important to note that this passage teaches the church to pray for "all" who are in authority, which includes all branches of a nation's government.
"You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people”.
(Exodus 22:28)
We have established that one of the main roles the church is required to fulfil regarding the governments of nations is to pray for them. However, there is an additional responsibility the church bears in this area: the manner in which we speak about those authorities.
The passage in Exodus clearly states that we are not to curse a ruler of our people. The apostle Paul, in quoting this passage, declares that we are not to speak evil of a ruler of our people (Acts 23:5).
Why is this distinction important? The world loves to speak of authorities in a derogatory manner. However, the church cannot pray for authorities in obedience to God's word while simultaneously, contrary to God's word, speaking evil of those same authorities.
God is not mocked. No matter how justified it may seem to join the world in speaking about authorities in a derogatory manner, the saints' prayers will be nullified if they indulge in the same practice.
This biblical principle establishes a crucial truth: our speech about authorities must align with our prayers for them. We cannot maintain spiritual integrity while praying for leaders with one breath and cursing them with another. In other words, if we have nothing good to say then say nothing.
And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.
(Jeremiah 29:7)
The above passage confirms that believers are to pray for their governments to govern in a manner conducive to creating a peaceful environment for their citizens. Here we see God counselling the Jews to pray for the government of Babylon, even though the Babylonians had conquered Israel, taken the Jews into captivity, and were effectively their enemies.
God explained that the reason the Jews were to pray for the Babylonian Empire to experience peace was that, as a direct result, the Jews living in Babylon would also experience peace. Even though Babylon was not their homeland and they were sojourners in a foreign land, God expected them to pray for Babylon's peace.
Similarly, the saints are sojourners in the nations where they live, for we are citizens of heaven and this world is not our home. Nevertheless, God expects us to pray for the peace of the nations in which we live, for in their peace we will experience peace.
Scripture is clear on this point: if the church obeys God's counsel to pray for the governments of the nations where they reside, they can expect God to answer their prayers, and those nations will experience peace. Conversely, if a nation is not enjoying peace but is experiencing turmoil and upheaval, the church must bear some responsibility, as it is likely they have neglected their duty to pray for that nation's authorities.
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
(Proverbs 21:1)
How does God answer our prayers for a nation's government? The above passage reveals one method God uses: the hearts of those in authority are in His hands, and He can influence them to make decisions according to His will. We recall that it was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the children of Israel leave Egypt. In the same manner, God is able to soften the hearts of a nation's leaders so that they will govern effectively, creating an environment in which their citizens can live quiet and peaceful lives and the church can live godly lives in all reverence before God.
Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.
(Daniel 1:18-21)
Another way God answers our prayers for a nation's government is by raising up His saints to positions of authority in those nations, enabling them to influence decisions that are conducive to good governance. We see this principle demonstrated in the passage above, where Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were believing Jews whom God placed in senior government positions within the Babylonian Empire.
The book of Daniel reveals that these men had a profound influence on the Babylonian leaders and were able to positively affect decisions made by that government. Similarly today, God is able to take His saints and place them into positions of authority in the governments of the nations where they reside, thus influencing those governments to govern according to godly principles.
This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
(Daniel 5:26-31)
God also answers prayers for a nation's government through the replacement of its leaders. In the above passage, Daniel was interpreting God's written judgment pronounced on King Belshazzar and inscribed on the palace wall. Because Belshazzar had been weighed by God in the balances and found wanting—being a relatively wicked ruler—God judged King Belshazzar and replaced him with Darius the Mede. Scripture reveals that Darius was a good ruler who, through Daniel's influence, eventually became a believer.
We see that God decides how He will change a government's direction when we pray. He may simply change leaders' hearts, or He may place His elect into positions of governmental authority, thus influencing the governments of those nations positively. God may also choose to replace individuals in authority with those who will govern according to His will. The church's faithful intercession for government authorities remains a crucial responsibility and a powerful tool for promoting godly governance and peaceful societies.
Michael E.B. Maher
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