“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.“ (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NIV)
Yesterday Barack Obama was our President. Tomorrow it will be Donald Trump. You may like that fact…you may hate it. Regardless of feelings, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 was just as true yesterday as it will be tomorrow. I’ve now lived through eight presidential terms. I was blissfully unaware of several of these. Then I started paying attention. Some of the presidents I loved. Some…not so much. But the advice Paul gives to Timothy was true through them all.
Tomorrow will be interesting. There are people in our nation that are angry…some are in denial. There are boycotts and protests planned. Others will be celebrating. We must pray. Let’s pray for authority figures…and for peace and quiet. As you pray, here are a couple more Scriptures to aid you:
- “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:16-17, NIV)
- “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2, NIV)
