PRAYING FOR ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “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. [2] Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
[18]”Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
How do we pray for people everywhere,… those in authority over us, those in the world around us, and those who are the church all over the world? Sounds like a tall order doesn’t it?
We must first remember that, even if we don’t know them, God does! We pray, not for any reason we may have but because God commands us to pray.
Paul gives us instructions that will help us understand what God desires of each group of people.
- What do political leaders need most? Since God has His eyes and heart on the church, He wants leaders who will contribute to a peaceful society.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT
[1] “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. [2] Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
Peaceful and quiet lives! God’s desire is for everyone to be saved. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Ezekiel 33:11 NLT
[11]”As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live….” !
Society in ferment is not a conducive environment for preaching and living God’s Word.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 NLT
[3]”This is good and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
Does this mean that everyone will be saved? No, but it does mean that God’s wants peace in society so that the gospel will flourish….for the preaching of the gospel without hindrance, and for His people to live out the gospel without fear.
What must we pray? Paul mentions ‘petitions, prayers, intercession, thanksgiving’, which about covers all kinds of praying. No matter what we may think of those in government, prayer for them will effect change. God is in charge; God moves people in whatever direction He wants them to go.
Proverbs 21:1 NLT
[1] “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.”
What if we take this promise seriously and partner with God in the way He directs our leaders?
- God instructs us to pray for people in the world in the same way, for His help and intervention to bring about peace and stability for the propagation of the gospel.
The Holy Spirit is in the world, convicting people of their sin.
John 16:8 NLT
[8] “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin…“
The Spirit’s role in the world is to awaken people to their sinfulness and to point them to the Saviour. Let’s partner with Him in His convicting work.
- What of the church? What does God want of His church on earth? Again, it does not matter if we do not know the people in the world-wide church. God does! The Word reveals two goals for God’s people…
Transformation into the likeness if Jesus
Romans 8:29 NLT
[29] “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
and…
Maturity in love and unity…
Ephesians 4:13, 15-16 NLT
[13] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ…
[15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
With these goals in view, and armed with the reassurance that our “amen” to God’s promises will bring about God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven,
James 5:16 NIV
[16]… “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
So let’s obey God’s instructions to pray for all people everywhere for the gospel to do its work on every level of society in the world. .