Written by Aisha Darwesh
The Word
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Hebrews 13:17-19 (ESV)
6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
Isaiah 62:6-7 (ESV)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
Aisha’s Analysis
Today’s verses urge us to obey, submit to, and pray for our leaders. As a leader and a prayer minister, these verses certainly hit close to home for me personally.
Let’s dig into the first encouragement: obey and submit to your leaders joyfully and not with groaning. I think the most important key when it comes to submission is to do so joyfully. Can I get an amen?
Any leader can identify with the pain associated with trying to lead a group or person who is unwilling to be led or who submits most UN-joyfully. To be fair, finding joy in submission is particularly challenging when you do not want to go in a direction you are being led.
The author of Hebrews gives us a beautiful and delightfully doable way to gently goad the hidden joy of godly submission: pray for your leaders.
Praying for your leaders doesn’t guarantee that you will magically agree with or desire the direction your leader is going. However, what it is bound to do, which so many overlook, is stir your faith in God to lead your leader.
If God is leading your leader, you are in good hands. You have nothing to fear. Praying will uncover blind spots and foster hope and trust in your leaders. Moreover, praying brings your own fears to light and your burdens to the feet of Jesus–exactly where they belong.
We don’t submit because our leaders are infallible; we submit because God tells us to. When you submit to your leader and willingly follow (to the extent the leader is acting within the bounds of God’s Word that is), you are in a sense submitting to God and honoring Him in the process. It is a way for you to die to your own way of being and doing right and trust in God’s way.
Similarly, prayer is a privilege that empowers our hearts to do everything He calls us to. It is an opportunity to lay down the heavy burdens you are carrying and take on the easy yoke of Jesus. While a yoke is not inherently easy, the yoke of Jesus actually is. All it requires is a bit of trust on our part.
Application
Who are the leaders in your life? They might include your pastor, your elders, your boss/management, your husband (if you’re a married woman), your parents (if you are not of an accountable age), elected officials, or others.
As an act of worship, pray for the leaders in your life. Most good leaders do not find leadership easy or desirable. Don’t make it even harder for them with your groaning. Submit joyfully. Confront with compassion. Carry out your mission with passion, commitment, and love. Do it for our Leader, King Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Father God, thank You for all the leaders in my life. You have covered me with such wonderful leaders who add value to my life. I pray You cover my leaders with Your love and wraparound presence. Heal my soul from any wounds these leaders may have inflicted, and give them grace to lead under the leadership of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
City Life Starter 
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