The Shoulders?

Have you ever struggled to pray for certain leaders, especially with thanksgiving¹, because you disagree with their decisions, worldview, or lifestyle?  My prayers in those cases have usually included:

Isaiah 9:6 NKJV  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. . . .

With these words, I have reminded Jesus that the government shall be upon His shoulders.  It’s been my way of getting out from under the weight of the problem for which I could see no solution, and in which I found fear and anxiety gaining entrance.  It turns out, though, that I’ve been declaring this verse without really understanding it, so I have not been effective as I’ve prayed.  I finally understood what had been there all along when I read Chapter 8 of Patsy Cameneti’s book, For Such a Time as This.  I had missed what is now so obvious to me.

Jesus is the Head of His body, the Church, which includes the shoulders.  While the shoulders are attached to the head via the neck, they are not the Head.  Jesus is the Head, not the shoulders.  I know this is simple, but I managed to miss it all these years.  We, as shoulders in the body of Christ, are called to carry the government in prayer.  Lest we get weighed down with that revelation, let’s look to the Word for further clarification.

Proverbs 29:2 NKJV  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

If a godly person is in a position of natural authority, their wise decisions lead to the citizens rejoicing, so we certainly want to pray for righteous men and women to be in elected and appointed positions.  Because these righteous leaders are still human, though, they will be tempted to make decisions and take actions contrary to God’s ways, creating difficulties for all.  As the shoulders of Christ, therefore, we must continue to pray for them once they are in that place of authority so they will continue to seek and walk in the righteousness and wisdom of God.  These are not the only leaders who need our prayer.

The shoulders in a natural body can’t decide to quit being the shoulders just because the garment on them is heavy, dirty, or uncomfortable.  Likewise, the shoulders of Christ must continue to pray even for those in authority who are unrighteous.  We pray for their salvation, for God loves them unconditionally, and Jesus has already paid the price for their sin; but that isn’t to be the end of our prayers.  It’s in these very instances we must stand strong in the Lord and firm in the authority of Christ² to call for His wisdom to guide their decisions, and for His righteousness to reign – not because of their wisdom and righteousness, but because of ours through Christ.

We, as the righteous shoulders of Christ, are to remain fixed in the place of authority He has given us, regardless of who is in authority in our government, according to His Word.  As we do, we can expect righteousness and wisdom to reign because we pray and stand, again according to His Word.  The government shall be upon His shoulders – the ones attached to the Head, wherein is all His wisdom and authority.  We are those shoulders, so let’s pray effectively from this new place of understanding and watch God move on behalf of our prayers!

© Copyright 2010  Kay V. Stocking