Pray for Good

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

1 Timothy 1:18-2:2

Paul charged Timothy to fight the good fight, "having faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim. 1:19).  To this end Paul exhorted Timothy to offer requests to God, intercede on behalf of, and give thanks for all men, especially for those who were in authority.  What may surprise you about this exhortation is how positive it is in light of the depraved spiritual and moral condition of those he was to pray for.  One might assume it would be more in line with God's will to pray against Caesar, wicked Herod, and dishonest tax collectors.  But God's will is that we would pray for the good of others - even of wicked and foolish tyrants.

Timothy was to pray for kings and those in authority so people might "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."  This may seem like a self-serving motive, but reading the next verses makes it clear this peace is only experienced - not through political policy or government reform - when a person is transformed by God.  Paul continued in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  Instead of praying against godless rulers, Christians are called to pray they might come to Jesus Christ and be born again.  Only Jesus can bring a peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

Nowadays there are a lot of other ways Christians try to "fight the good fight."  In a hopeless world it seems Christians can even lose hope in God's ability and power to answer prayers and try worldly methods to accomplish our will.  What does it profit to pray "against" leaders when God said to pray for their good and salvation?  Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-45, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  This goes for Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull, leader Kim-Jong-un of North Korea, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Phillipines, or United States presidential hopefuls Clinton and Trump.  No matter what you think of these men or women and the job they are doing, we are first called to pray they might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Have you fulfilled this heavenly mandate from your LORD, Christian?  Let us learn to give thanks for all those who are in authority, whether it be a spouse, church leader, boss, or local council.  All who are in authority remain under God's authority, and all will answer to Him.  Let us offer loving prayers before God's throne for all and in recognition of God's authority "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

A Christian Perspective

Being a Christian goes far beyond biblical morality or a belief system:  it is a spiritual transformation brought about by the living God inhabiting a person who trusts in Him.  Exposure to the Word of God, partnership with other believers in the church, and walking in obedience to God lead to spiritual maturity and growth.  This relationship with God ought to have an impact on every aspect of our lives, how we view the world, and influence our interactions with others.  After being born again through faith in Jesus we continue living in a corruptible and mortal body of flesh, yet we can become more like Jesus in how we think and live.  Our new King, future heavenly country, and growing relationship with God forever alters our perspective for good.

As God opens our eyes to the truth of His Word and we grow in faith with obedience, the reality of our identity in Christ begins to slowly take hold in our lives.  Daily interactions, physical pain, conflict, failure, and apparent success - everything really - is filtered through this new consciousness.  There are more ways than I can count how a relationship with God has forever changed my life for the better.  Here are just a handful of truths which have encouraged me as a Christian:

• This life is not all there is.  I am a dual citizen on earth, but as a Christian I am a citizen of heaven where I will live forever with my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Death for me is not so much my end as a new beginning of eternal glory.  Even as an infant grows in his mother's womb, this life is preparing me for a glorious future in the presence of God.
• God is in control.  As Creator of this world, God has the power to accomplish everything He has promised.  I don't need to be afraid even when circumstances are difficult, because I know God works all things for good in my life.  God can do the impossible!
• God's work doesn't depend upon me.  God doesn't need me, but He invites me to serve Him.  In my flesh I am only a hindrance to God, but as I am led by the Spirit God graciously works in and through my life.  The God who created the complex systems within my body to work together has assembled the church with Christ as the Head.  He will see His work done!
• Life is more than stuff.  Jesus said life does not consist in the amount of things I possess.  Jesus Himself is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Since I have Jesus I have all things and abound, for everything I have accumulated on this earth will be left for another.
• God hears and answers prayers.  If we respond to the requests of our children, won't God respond to the prayers of His beloved children?  The One who created ears can hear, and the One who created mouths can surely speak.  The God who confounded languages at Babel can understand the desires of our hearts and can supply our needs.  He bids us come boldly into His throne room at all times to seek mercy and help in time of need.
• Here today, gone tomorrow.  Life is short, so let us be about God's business.  During the day we ought to work, for night is coming when no one can work.  Make the most of the time you have with other people, for they might be leaving your fellowship or departing this world sooner than you thought.  Our life is like the grass which flourishes one day and is dry the next.
• Rest is found in Jesus alone.  Relaxation doesn't remove our responsibilities, and even long holidays come to an end.  In Christ we find rest for our souls and our weary minds.  Jesus can remove our burdens of sin, preoccupation, procrastination, and self-focus.  Jesus gives us peace nothing in this world can take away.
• My King is rich.  It is God's pleasure to give His children His kingdom, and what a bountiful kingdom it is!  It is rich in beauty and grace which is beyond price, love which will last for eternity, and great in mercy and power.  God has all things, and in Him all things consist.
• God is worthy to be praised.  Nothing on this planet is worthy of worship, but the God who created all things is worthy to be praised.  I do not praise Him only because of all He has done but who He is.  He is to be admired and I am in awe of His wisdom and ways.
• The Bible is truly God's Word.  The Bible is true and is food for the soul.  It is a guide which leads us to God and provides a godly perspective on people and all God has made.  It illuminates the ways of living and thinking which please God, explains the way of salvation through the Gospel, corrects, instructs, and encourages with great promises.
• God loves me.  Amazing, that such a God and Saviour would love me!  God has shown compassion and been gracious to me despite my faults and failings.  He has called out to me kindly when I was His enemy, and has adopted me as His own child.  How great is God's love for me, for God demonstrated His love by dying for my sins on a cross.

For the sake of time I did not include biblical references for all these points, but they are saturated with scripture!  Praise the LORD for His goodness and His grace unto men!

The Word Be Glorified

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: ²  And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith."

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

The Word of God is critical in the salvation and growth of Christians.  The Bible helps us to place our faith in the God Who can actually save us:  faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  People perish for a lack of knowledge of the WORD who became flesh and dwelt among us.  Jesus warned against false prophets who posed as genuine, and Paul warned against ravenous wolves which would not spare the flock.  The idea is one of infiltration, not of attack from outsiders.  Paul desired prayer so the "word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified."  There were people outside the church who resisted and flatly denied the truth of scripture.  Lack of faith in professing Christians hinders the free course of God's Word even in the church, and this is more concerning than satanic forces outside.  A single wolf in sheep's clothing with a carefully refined bleat poses a far greater threat within the confines of a fenced flock than a baying pack outside.

I think it was Alan Redpath I heard say, "You go through your Bible, but how long has it been since it went through you?  How long has it been since it burned like a fire in you?"  Agreement is not belief.  I can agree parachutes can safely convey skydivers from a plane at high altitude to the ground safely, but evidence of belief comes through testing.  Suffice it to say there are a lot of people on the ground who would agree parachutes are reliable and even safe when correctly deployed, but would never jump out of a plane with only a parachute strapped to their back between them and death.  Christianity and God's Word is life and death; it is all or nothing.  We are called as believers to allow God's Word to have free course in our personal lives and then it will be glorified according to the perfect will of God.

It is an unreasonable and wicked man who would hinder, distort, add to or make omissions of God's Word.  It is folly for a messenger to alter the words of his king to better suit the masses.  The Bible is quite plain and objective, yet because the desires and tendencies of our flesh run absolutely contrary to it things become quite complicated.  We quickly realise there is a difference between our thinking and practices and what the Bible says.  The Bible is complex and deeper than a man's understanding can plumb, yet plain meaning is provided which transcends all time, ethnicity, nationality, and languages.  It appeals to and correlates with the human conscience as noble and admirable.  Without faith in God, however, the truth of the scripture cannot be received.  Hebrews 4:2 says, "For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it."  Isn't that awful?  A person can hear the words of God but not profit from them when they are not mixed with faith.

I pray the word of God may have free course within me and you and be glorified for Christ's sake.  Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, how important it is for people to be exposed to the Bible being lived out by Christians who walk righteously.  People who will never open a Bible read your life like a book.  They listen to your words.  They note the subtlety of your facial expressions and try to discern your motives.  They will constantly see to balance your words and claims of scripture against your life.  The good thing is even though we fail, God's Word will endure and remain true, capable of piercing, instructing, correcting, and saving.  All men have not faith, but those will faith ought to live like men of God in whom the Word is glorified.

Look and Live

God does not always answer prayers in the way we expect.  He often does exceedingly above what we could ask or think!  Solomon asked God for wisdom, and in addition to wisdom beyond all others God granted Solomon long life, wealth, and peace from his enemies.  Paul prayed God would remove a messenger of Satan from his life, and God answered no:  it was in weakness Paul would realise God's strength exponentially.  God's ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are greater too.

Recently I came across another example when God answered prayer in an unexpected, miraculous way.  Numbers 21 speaks of an instance when God's people were discouraged because of the way God led them.  They spoke angrily against God, Moses, and even against the manna God graciously provided them for their survival.  To chasten them, God sent venomous snakes among them which bit the people and many died.  Numbers 21:7 reads, "Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people."  Seems like a sensible request, right?  If God took away the snakes no one would be bitten.  Problem solved!  This is what God did for Pharaoh in response to his request when was plagued:  ask the God who sent frogs, flies, and lice to remove the problem and all would be well.  But God had something else entirely in mind.

Numbers 21:8-9 says, "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived."  God did for the people what they did not ask.  The text does not tell us God removed all the snakes, but He desired to save all who had a death sentence upon them.  His aim was not to keep people from being bitten in the first place but to provide deliverance and hope for all who had.  This is earth-shattering truth.  When we are in "damage control" mode, God works to redeem and save.  All who exercised faith to simply look upon the bronze serpent would be saved.  God extended love, grace, and compassion to all those who faced the fangs of death.

I have heard people charge God with wrong for allowing sin to remain on the earth.  But hasn't God done more than we could have asked by sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, the One who can set captives free?  Everyone in the human race is born under the curse of sin, but God has provided a way through faith to be saved.  Jesus said in John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  The fangs of sin have sunk into our souls, yet being born again through faith in Jesus not only removes the curse but imputes God's righteousness unto us.  We were beyond all hope, and God made a way of salvation by grace through faith.  What a wonderful God, who supplied a way of eternal salvation from the fires of hell before we ever realised it!