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"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth."
(1 Timothy 2:3-7)
Thomas Jefferson said we get the government we deserve. God is sovereign. Whoever is elected, God allows or causes it. James Merritt said the Church can influence the nation more through supplication than Congress can do by legislation. We cannot change anyone's heart, but God can.
The purpose of prayer is not to get our leaders to do what we want; we are to pray so that we live peaceful lives (1 Timothy 2:2). When we pray for those in leadership, whether we voted for them or not, we cannot hate them simultaneously. Merritt said, "We have more influence in the prayer closet than the ballot box. The Church should not be identified with a candidate or party. We are immigrants, and this world is not our home; our citizenship is in heaven. We have a president, but he is not our Master or Lord."
I love how Paul follows up the command to pray for world leaders with an emphasis on keeping Jesus first and foremost in our minds (verses 4-7). In verse 4, Paul writes about the nature of God and His desire to save all. In the context of those in authority, Paul writes about salvation. During his lifetime, probably no leader in Rome was a believer at this time. Nero surely was not!
In verses 5-6, Paul preaches the Gospel. Let this instruct us. Do not get caught up in politics but in the Gospel, and pray to the God who saves and changes things! If our first reaction to Trump or Harris was not criticism or complaint but prayer instead, how much better they and we would be.
In verse 7, Paul gives some biographical information about his life. He is a follower of Jesus and appointed by God to be a preacher and an apostle. He said he was also appointed by God to be a teacher of the Gentiles.
Paul helps Timothy and the Church at Ephesus and every church in each generation to keep Christ at the forefront of our minds. We need to be reminded of this during these hotly debated and inflammatory days. Keep Jesus first in our minds, pray for our leaders, lead godly lives, and tell the world about the Savior!
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