City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 

2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 

3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 

4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Exegesis

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time you have heard Christians are supposed to pray for our political leaders. But as you can see from the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy, what we are supposed to do is a little more detailed than that. We are to make (1) entreaties; (2) prayers; (3) petitions; and (4) thanksgivings on behalf “kings and all who are in authority.” I Timothy 2:2. Paul is saying we should use the full arsenal of prayer for our “king” and those in authority. 

And Paul says we are to do so for all men, not just those political leaders we voted for or like. Paul’s point is even more compelling when one considers he wrote it between 62 A.D. And 68 A.D., during the reign of Nero Caesar. Nero killed his mother, had his wife executed, and had so many of his perceived rivals killed, his tutor, Seneca, famously told him, “No matter how many men you kill you cannot kill your successor.” Nero also horribly persecuted Christians. He even went so far as to tie Christians to stakes and set them on fire at his palace to light his garden parties. And yet, Paul urged Timothy that prayers be made for Nero.

The Lord is intentional. The command that Christians pray for political leaders is not because prayer is an inherently spiritual act but because the Lord desires that all men even—perhaps especially—political leaders be saved. I Timothy 2:4. And Paul had the same mindset. 

Paul led Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus, to the Lord. Acts 13:1-12. And I think Paul had his sights on Nero. In fact, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds the Philippians to greet those “in Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22) indicating people among Nero’s staff had become Christians, and I believe Paul was praying for Nero’s conversion as well. 

I wonder if Paul insisted on appealing to Caesar when he could have been released (see Acts 25:10-11) so he could stand before Caesar and preach the gospel. Indeed, when the angel appeared to Paul just prior to his shipwreck he reassured Paul he “must stand before Caesar.” (Acts 27:23-24). This means Paul did stand before Caesar, and I am confident Paul used the opportunity to preach Jesus to the most powerful man and enemy of Christians in the world. 

Application

So, when you are praying today for our nation, pray specifically for Donald Trump, that God will make his heart receptive to the gospel. Pray that those around President Trump who know the Lord will demonstrate the love of God to him, and have the courage to speak Truth boldly to him when the time is right, even at their own expense.

Your prayers could change the world.