Tag: political division

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Praying for Our Nation

I participate in a church intercessory prayer ministry. Volunteers come to a prayer room for an hour each week to pray for our nation and its leaders, among other things. This is important as our national life right now is characterized by bitterness, anger, and division. The church, by contrast, should be characterized by harmonious prayer.

1Timothy 2:1-8 says this. Imagine a teacher explaining these verses to a Sunday school class. He says, “When you come together to pray,” then he pauses. Yes, you think, what comes next? The teacher then continues,  “Let there be no anger, no disputing, no arguing!”

Why does 1 Timothy 2:8 say this? Because Jesus taught that quarrels and conflicts are hindrances to prayer (Matthew 5:23-24). Rancor and heated arguments may be the stuff of the rough-and-tumble world of politics. But unlike the world, God’s church must seek peaceful relationships and unity in prayer.

! Timothy 2 teaches us that prayer is the pulse of the church. It says that we should pray for our nation and its leaders.

This kind of praying is an urgent priority. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). All kinds of payers are mentioned, for all kinds of people, especially governmental leaders.

Why this reminder? Had Timothy’s church been neglecting prayer for those outside the fellowship? Had they grown insulated and unconcerned for their neighbors who need Christ? Had they failed to pray for their nation and for the well-being of their city? Were their national leaders ever mentioned by name in their public and private prayers?

This kind of praying is comprehensive and specific. “For everyone” means all kinds of people. Then Paul gets even more specific: “for kings and all those in authority.” In New Testament times, there were despotic rulers such as Nero, Caligula, Herod, and Pilate. Christians may have been tempted to rebel against their oppression, or even hate them.

In America, we do not have a king or emperor, but we do have a president, and congressional leaders, and this means we should pray for them whether we like them or not, “without anger or disputing.”

In my prayers for our president, I ask the Lord to open his heart to the gospel. I pray for God to protect him and his family. I pray that he will not act on his worst instincts, but pay attention to wise counsel of godly advisors. I pray that he will “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). For a long time I have been praying that he will “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

This kind of praying yields results that are pleasing to God. Internally, the outcome for the church might be peace and protection from persecution (v. 2). Externally, the result might be that the moral influence of God’s people would help steer the culture in a righteous direction. “Godliness and holiness” (v.2) are as much for Monday morning as they are for Sunday morning.

Another result is that the church’s witness would be effective. God wants people “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4). The truth is that there is but one God, not many gods (v.5). There is but “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (v. 5). 

There is but one gospel message. Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men” (v.6). As we pray, it is with a growing concern that the people in the world around us might come to the knowledge that Christ died to pay the ransom for sinful people. If we are faithful to this gospel, we will share it, not with the power of political coercion, but with humble persuasion empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In today’s political climate these verses are incredibly relevant. Anger, hatred, and cruel words have been the currency of too much of the political conversation. ! Timothy 2:8 tells us to put aside bitterness, argumentation and anger, and come together in prayer. Our unity is not in a political party or loyalty to a politician. The church’s unity is in Christ. As one writer put it, “Our rallying cry is not ‘Hail to the Chief’ but ‘Jesus is Lord.'”

On that basis, we pray for wisdom and guidance for our political leaders. We pray for the church’s influence on the culture. We pray for the effective communication of the gospel at home, and around the world. We pray for healing for a divided nation.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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A Song for Dangerous Times

I suspect that about half of the American population are unhappy with the outcome of the recent national election. The other half are elated. I fervently hope and pray that the American people will respect and follow the U.S. Constitution and will seek national reconciliation.

I hope that those who know the Lord, whatever their political leanings, will remember that Christ is the king of kings before whom all human rulers must someday bow in submission. Jesus is sovereign over all nations. Believers’ ultimate hope is not in politics but in Christ.

We live in unsettled times. Domestic unrest and world events can cause us to feel wobbly, insecure, and off kilter. That is why I find comfort in the phrases of Psalm 91. It was written for dangerous times like these.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:1-2).

This tells us how we can have rest in our spirits when our lives are sheltered in God. The writer (most likely Moses) is professing his sense of personal security in his relationship to the Lord. The psalm parallels the story line of the book of Exodus. The nation of Israel had been rescued from Egypt. They experienced God’s protection as they travelled through the wilderness of Sinai.

“Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:3-4).

Despite the dangers mentioned in the psalm, God’s people are promised the Lord’s protection: soft, when it needs to be, like a mother bird nurturing her young; hard, when it needs to be, warding off the threats and blows of enemies. The dangers are real. People of faith do, in fact, fall victim to diseases, disasters, and death. Psalm 91 is a realistic assessment of the world as it is.

But the psalmist also wants us to know God as he is and to live in a close relationship to him. In Psalm 91 he recalls four different names of God which reveal different aspects of his character. God is the “Most High,” the exalted one, the living and true God.

He is the “Almighty,” the all-powerful, all-sufficient God. He is called “the Lord” or Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God. This is the name by which he reveals himself in relation to his people. He is faithful to his promises.

Then he is identified as “my God.” This name for God in Hebrew points to his transcendence. He is the sovereign of eternity and of creation. This great God is “my God,” says the writer.

This surprising familiarity with God is accented by three titles that describe the believer’s relationship to God. He is “refuge,” “shelter,” and “fortress,” a secure place of safety in a dangerous world. This reminds me of Proverbs 18:10 — “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

I have been thinking about Psalm 91 in relation to the uncertainties and threats we face in America and around the world. We must acknowledge that God’s people are not immune from disease, disasters, and death. The troubles of the world do sometimes reach God’s beloved children. We might be perplexed and puzzled by this until we read Psalm 91:15.

The Lord is speaking. “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

The psalm writer looks at the world as it is and to God as he is and he brings them together. The comforts and promises of this psalm are not unreasonable or beyond belief. “I will be with him IN trouble,” not necessarily escaping it. It is the presence of the Lord that gives rest, security, and courage in the time of trouble.

Reading the headlines from online news sources can fuel anxiety. Extremists talk openly about civil war in America. Political commentators on the left and on the right wonder about the future of democracy. Some citizens are bracing themselves for political violence. Suspicion and fear of those on the other side of the political divide can make us forgetful of God’s sovereignty over human rulers.

It seems clear that the psalm writer wants us to see another dimension, that of eternity. This is to be the Christian’s outlook. Romans 8:35-37 tells us that “IN all these things (earthly troubles) we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  No harm can separate the believer from the love of Christ. We are told that in times of danger and trouble we can learn to recognize God’s presence and unfailing love. IN dangerous times we will not be forgotten or forsaken.

Pastor Randy Faulkner