Daily Archive

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬

Throughout the Bible, we are commanded to pray. Prayer is the power behind our living for Jesus. It’s been said, that even atheists pray when the plane is going down!

Sad to say, I think we believe in prayer far more than we practice prayer. If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s easy to pray for loved ones, for ourselves, and maybe the occasional prayer for the stranger on the Internet.

What about people, that we know who dislike us, abuse us or ridicule us for our belief in Christ? Hard as it is, Paul challenges us to pray for them. Later on, he’ll say pray for our leaders as well. Not to pray for their demise, but to pray and intercede on their behalf, before God.

Paul urges to should pray for their good, not for their evil. and then he says something really hard. We should thank God for those in leadership no matter how godless they may seem.

Remember, Paul wrote this during one of the most cruel, godless, violent governments in the history of the world. The same government that would later have him beheaded!

Throughout history, God has proven that he can even use godless leaders to accomplish his will. Make it a habit to pray for those who are different than you. Ask the Holy Spirit’s help in knowing how to pray.