Christian Civics: Praying for Our Leaders

Prayer works. God commands it in His Word, hears it because of His graciousness to His people in Christ Jesus, and uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His good will. Prayer is a powerful tool the Christian has at his disposal.

Since prayer is effective, meaning it has an effect on the world around us, it is pretty evident why we are commanded to pray that our leaders and public governmental officials would do good, God-pleasing things in their capacities as such leaders. I should pray that my Governor puts down evildoers and lets Christians lead good, quiet, worshipful lives because God might answer that prayer “yes.” He might even use that prayer, and thousands like it, to make that result occur.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

Romans 13:1-6

My Governor would be doing good, God-pleasing work if he were to punish evildoers and let Christians live quiet and worshipful lives. God may use my prayer to cause Governor DeWine to do such work with his authority as Governor of the State of Ohio.

How often do I pray for my Governor and my state legislature and the board of trustees of my township? Not a thousandth as much as I should. Prayers are effective, but I do not act like they are effective. My conversation and my social media and my thoughts are all primed and pumped, but I do not lift up my heart in pleadings with God for my governmental leaders to govern well in God’s sight. How many laws, ordinances, executive orders get signed into being, how many thousands of small but impactful decisions get made without a single prayer of Wade Thomas’ swaying the situation?

But I have been gifted this day, today, and if you are reading this then you have as well. And if you are a Christian, you have been gifted it by your Father and have the privilege of pleading with Him for your leaders in your state capital, your county’s courthouses, your nation’s executive offices and legislative halls and court rooms. We, as Christians, have the ear and arm of the Almighty available to us through faithful prayer, brought to the Father by our Lord Jesus Christ with the pleading power of His own shed blood. We have actual power from our Creator at our disposal through prayer, and He can and does use the prayers of saints to accomplish good and beautiful things.

Pray for your Governor this week, that God would bring him or her to punish wickedness and protect Christian churches and their worship. Pray for President Biden, that the Lord would change his protection of infanticide in legalized abortion into something less abhorrent and demonic. Pray that your mayor or other local government would stop crimes and the violation of God-made human beings and would encourage and protect churches in their proper worship of Jesus Christ. And do not be intimidated by the seeming unlikeliness of the request. We would have all been shocked in 2019 to be told that within a year churches throughout the world would be commanded by governing authorities to not gather for public worship. The unlikely can happen, and God’s ordaining hand and purposes, both in good and evil, will often shock human eyes. Pray for the unlikely in faith, and know that God is mighty and good enough to use big and humble prayers from His people to accomplish staggering things for His glory.

Pray for our leaders in faith to the God who uses His people’s prayers. It is the duty of both citizenships we hold.