A Closer Walk
"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, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior," 1 Timothy 2:1-3 NASB. We are urged to pray for all men. Plus, we are urged to pray for kings and those in authority. July 4, our nation's Independence Day, is this coming Thursday. This is the day our nation has set aside to commemorate, celebrate, and honor our independence as a Sovereign nation, rather than being a colony of Great Britain. So, for our discussion today let's focus on praying for our leaders.
In the United States of America we are blessed by living in a Constitutional Republic, which is our chosen form of government. Our national government has three separate branches: the Legislative, the Judicial, and the Executive. Each of these three branches have a different purpose and function. The Legislative branch passes the laws, the Judicial branch rules on the interpretation of the laws, and the Executive branch implements the laws.
We the people vote for our national leaders by electing our Representatives and Senators in each of our individual states. Each state is allotted representation in the House of Representatives according to the population of that state. More populous states have more Representatives, less populous states have less Representatives. This makes the more populous states more powerful in the House. Since they have more people, they have more representatives. But regardless of population, each state is allotted at least one Representative, so that the citizens of that state have representation in the House of Representatives. In the Senate the states are each allotted two Senators, with no consideration given for population. Since the small population states outnumber the large population states, the advantage the large states gain in the House of Representatives is offset by the gain the small states receive in the Senate. Our state of Kansas is allotted two Senators, the same as New York or California. This method of allotment elevates the small states to the same level of importance as the large states.
Each and every christian in the United States has a Representative in the U. S. House of Representatives to pray for, and two Senators in the Senate representing their state to pray for. We have nine Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to pray for. We have a President, a Vice President, and all the members of the President's Cabinet (his group of top advisors) to pray for. One of these Cabinet members is from Kansas, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Along with that, we also have state and local leaders to pray for.
So what should we pray for them? While at times there may be something specific we desire to pray about, at all times and on every occasion we can pray for more Godly leaders. We can pray that the leaders currently serving would be more Godly today than they were yesterday. And that they would be more Godly tomorrow than they are today. And we can pray that these leaders would desire to grow in their walk with the Lord. Further, we can pray that our Lord would send us more leaders who are Godly, and who desire to continue to grow in their faith. We can ask for leaders who would seek the Lord God Almighty daily. We can ask for leaders who search for the Lord's guidance and direction. We can ask for leaders who read the Bible on a regular basis, and who try to live out its precepts and commandments. We can pray that the Lord God Almighty would provide His wisdom in abundance to all these leaders; whether federal, state, or local. And we can pray that our Lord would grant each of them a spirit of humility and a willingness to keep the needs of our country and its citizens at the forefront of their thinking, actions, and service.
“...I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made...for kings and all who are in authority.” Why should we do that? So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. For our own benefit and gain, we should pray for our leaders. And we praise the Lord always for Godly leaders.