“The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”
First Timothy 2: 1-3
While it is always important to pray for our leaders, it is perhaps especially important during a crisis. Why should we pray for our leaders? Because God tells us to do so. Anyone in a leadership position, especially during a time of stress and yes, a crisis, needs to be surrounded by God’s presence and His guidance.
I believe we need to pray for our governmental leaders, at every level. This is true regardless of whether or not we agree with them or not politically. I still remember vividly when I attended a Presbyterian Church General Assembly as a Youth Advisory Delegate. There was a motion on the floor to pray for the dictator of an African country, because of a crisis in that country. The motion failed. The minister delegate from Central Washington, Rev. John Zimmerman, turned to me after the vote, and said, “It is never wrong to pray for anyone!”
Praying for our leaders is not about politics. It is about seeking God’s will for our world. Therefore, let us pray for wisdom for our leaders, from our local mayors, Mayors Crawford and Kuntz, up through the county and state level, all the way up to our national leaders, including our president, and leaders around the world. Pray, that we might “go quietly about the business of living simply, in humble contemplation.”
Prayer for the Day (From World Vision, 2019)
God, thank You for the men and women who serve our country in leadership roles and for their families. Please provide our leaders with reminders each day of why they decided to dedicate their lives to public service, and use that commitment to encourage them. Give them peace when their work takes them away from their families. We also pray specifically for the wives, husbands, and children of our leaders. We ask that You draw near to them and give them the wisdom on how to best support one another while their loved one is away working. We pray this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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