Those in Authority
1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” NIV
More than two years ago, my local government was considering removing what is referred to as “sectarian” prayer from the invocations; basically, praying in the name of Jesus Christ. The night of the public hearing, the council chambers were packed with people like me, who only attended meetings when a hot-button issue was being discussed. One of the council members commented that he was glad so many were in attendance, but encouraged us to come for other meetings, as well. The Holy Spirit used that simple statement to direct me to another of His assignments for me.
I really do not like politics, and never have. Being involved politically, in any arena, is not my interest or desire, but obeying the Holy Spirit is; so, I have been attending the council meetings ever since that first one. In the early days, I found them pretty boring, didn’t understand a lot of what they discussed, and felt like many of the things they argued so passionately about were just plain silly (still do, for that matter). Out of obedience, however, I kept going twice a month and eventually found myself able to follow the flow of the meetings, as well as most of the issues being discussed. That’s when I began to have the scary thought that the Lord was preparing me to run for office. What a great relief it was when He made it clear that my call is praying for my local authorities – not being one of them!
It took some months of attending the meetings to change my mindset, which changed my attitude in prayer. I had not thought of these leaders as human beings, but as authorities who were either good guys or bad guys, based on their votes. Once that wrong mindset changed, I realized, while they may have different opinions from mine, they are humans in positions of authority in my government who need prayer and uplifting to the Lord according to His Word. The more I have prayed in this assignment from the Lord, the more deeply set it has become in my heart. It’s moved out of the “have to pray” into the “want to pray” mentality; and, no longer do I just pray for them in their roles as leaders, but I pray for them personally, as well.
James 5:16 “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” AMP
We each have a part to play in uplifting all our authorities – federal, state, and local – but it is vitally important to find out which authorities He has assigned specifically to us, so we can pray with greater precision and, therefore, more effectively. You may never be directed to accompany your prayers by attending meetings, writing letters, or running for office, but there is no doubt that He has called you to pray for those in authority. From your heart, with all that is in you, answer that call!
© Copyright 2009 Kay V. Stocking
