I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
What a great Scripture to put into practice, especially following the election results of last week. Like most Bible-believing Christians, I can think of many biblical convictions that I wish our President-elect had, and about which we must fervently pray. But today I think I will focus on obedience to the above Scripture and cultivate the kind of thankfulness that leads to a quiet, peaceable life.
Maybe God is calling you to pray, to really intercede—to kneel down and pray for our President-elect, the selection of his Cabinet, and our Congress; to pray for your country, because it has great needs.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1
Remember where power ultimately comes from—seek the Lord for His will, our families & our country.
That’s good to know, isn’t it? Our President-elect needs our prayers—for strength to maintain the convictions he holds which are in keeping with God’s will for our nation, for the wisdom to realize where his beliefs are not according to God’s plan, and for the courage to change. May he—and might we all—remember where power ultimately comes from, and seek the Lord daily for His will and everything we need, for our families, and for our country.
I wrote those words 8 years ago this week, in regard to the first election of President Obama—and it is as true today as it was then. Parties come and parties go. Some people are thrilled with the outcome of the election and some are distraught. But we are to be above all of that, because kings and rulers are nothing except as they submit themselves to the sovereign hand of Almighty God.
Whether you believe God has appointed the current outcomes to judge our country or to bless our country, does not matter that much in the end. We are called to pray and to keep our focus on the Lord.
We prayed this together as a church this weekend, and I invite you to make it your own.
Father, we come before You because we acknowledge that the needs of our country are very great. We love You, we love our families, we love this nation—and we realize that among the peoples on the face of this earth, we are greatly blessed to be Americans.
Yet, we wouldn’t be entirely transparent if we didn’t say what You already know. Much that has happened in these many months has grieved us and caused us uncertainty. There are those who are absolutely elated at the election results—and I pray that You would protect their hearts from an undue pride or confidence in men who always disappoint, when our confidence is to be placed in You.
And there are others who are deeply grieved by this election and believe that a different outcome was the only hope for our country. I pray You would grant to them a sense of humility, that You are so much bigger than our perceptions and our thoughts of how things should be.
Whether you believe God is judging our country or blessing it, we are called to pray & focus on Him.
How glad we are and how glorious it is to worship a sovereign God who is in control of everything. Your Word says that promotion does not come from the east or the west—that You are the judge who sets up one and puts down another (Psalm 75:6-7). As I said eight years ago, we say again: Your will has been done. Now we await the unfolding of Your purposes. Sometimes You appoint rulers to bring judgement; sometimes You appoint rulers to bring change; but always You are the Rock upon which we stand.
Forgive us, God, for the ways we have placed our hope in anything other than You. Forgive us for the times we should have been that rock to others, but instead we have been a source of anxiety as we vented our own fears and frustrations. Forgive us for when we should have been leading and expressing faith, but in expressing our doubt and dismay, we may have caused others to wonder whether You are a God in whom we can trust. And You most assuredly are.
Make our faith stronger. Make our focus greater. We look to no man, but we do pray for our President-elect. We pray for a peaceful transition of power to take place, for the team to be built, for the decisions to be made. We pray for those who have the ear of our President-elect, and that those who know You personally will not fear to speak what is true and what represents Your Word and Your heart.
Whatever turn is next in the road, or the turn after that, or the turn after that—we pray that our faith would be stronger for what we have seen and endured. We pray that our tethering to You would be closer, so that our hearts would not wander and our faith would not grow dim.
Let us love and give and serve and trust and spend ourselves for what really matters. Let us remain prayerful, grateful, and hopeful because of the promises You have given us. We consecrate ourselves, our church, our families, our country, and our future, again, to You . . . in Jesus’ name, amen.
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