Why Pray for Our Political Leaders?

Our chief political job as Christians is to pray.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Prayer ought to be the first and foremost thing we do for our country. Should we pray, “Lord, help my guy or girl to get elected”? That’s prayer, right? Yes, but this is a prayer that has forgotten the big picture. Perhaps you should ask yourself, “Why am I praying that prayer?” And a better question would be, “Why should I pray for our leaders?”

The prayers we pray for our political leaders put our lives in perspective. We realize that God is in control. That’s why we are reminded in Romans 13 to submit to our governing authorities. When we submit to our governing authorities, we submit ourselves to God.

So, we pray for our governing authorities so we can be free from worry. The essential responsibility of governing authorities is to keep the peace. And as long as we obey and respect the law as we obey and respect our God, then we don’t have to worry about getting into trouble. We don’t have to keep looking over our shoulders to see if anyone is looking. We don’t have to worry about going to jail or getting a ticket or appearing before a jury of our peers.

So we pray for our leaders to exercise the authority that God has given them—the authority to keep the peace, to squelch violence, to enforce the law, to punish lawlessness, and to restrain the sinful heart of man. We are to pray for our leaders so that they will exercise the authority that God has given them so that they will allow themselves to be used by God to restrain evil in our world so that we can lead a peaceful and quiet life free from persecution and strife. Praying for our leaders frees us from worry.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We pray for our leaders so everyone has a chance at eternal life.

I wonder how many of us have ever thought that the power of our prayers could turn our governing authorities into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. And even more than that, I wonder how many of us have ever thought that the power of our prayers could turn our country into a land of opportunity for everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

This is a huge statement. What if we prayed that the government would not be a hindrance to people coming to know Jesus? In Canada and throughout Europe, there are legal restrictions on what ministers can preach from the pulpit. Preachers have gone to jail in those places for preaching against immoral behavior. Preachers have even been arrested in our own country for speaking against abortion and handing out Bibles. Professors in our own universities have failed students for simply defending their faith in God. What if we prayed for our leaders? Perhaps these things would stop happening, but even more, perhaps our government would stick to keeping the peace and stop hindering the gospel.

We are called to pray, not protest. We are called to pray, not rebel. We are called to pray, not incite. We are called to pray for our leaders so we can live in an environment that doesn’t hinder the good news that Jesus came to this earth as a man, died for our sins, and rose to life.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.

We pray for our leaders so we can be free to preach the Gospel.

We pray for them so that we can exercise our faith and speak the truth. And here’s the big picture. When God saved you, why didn’t he take you straight on to heaven with him? It’s because he’s got a job for you to do. That job is not to build a kingdom, but to build the Kingdom. That job is not to look to the government for salvation, but to look to the One who has on his shoulders all the government of the world. That job is not to build a coalition, but to build the church of Jesus Christ.

It’s easy to get distracted from what we’re really here to do. But God wants us to pray for our leaders so that they will leave us alone to do the work God has called us to do. As Christians, our sole purpose for being here is to be a living testimony for Jesus. He is our mediator, not man. He is our Savior, not government. He is the One who paid the price for our sins, not the economy. He is the only one who can bridge the gap between a lost and dying world to a holy and pure God. As Christians, this is the message that God has ordained all of us to preach. He has not ordained just me or just the preachers, but all Christians.

And if God gives us leaders who will not leave us alone, who will throw us in jail, who will persecute us, who will fine us, and who will kill us, we will still preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are supposed to pray for our leaders so we can have the freedom to preach the gospel. We’re supposed to pray for our leaders so we can have the freedom to exercise our faith—not so that we can have separation of church and state, but so that the good news of Jesus can infiltrate every dark alley and every hidden closet and every far-reaching corner of this world.

Do you suppose we have lost the big picture? Do you suppose that we have gotten too caught up in party lines and politics and legislation? Have we gotten so caught up that we have forgotten to pray and to preach? Have we forgotten to live as followers of Jesus in the face of a lost and dying world? Have we forgotten to speak the truth in love to all who will hear?

Our chief political job is to pray for kings and all those in authority. So how do we do that?

1 Timothy 2:8 says, Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

Do we need to vote? Yes—God has given us that freedom and opportunity, and we need to vote in a way that will honor God. Should Christians run for office? Sure! We need Godly men and women to be the salt and light in every profession. But our chief responsibility is to pray no matter who gets elected, no matter if it’s our guy or not, and no matter if we agree with his policies or not. How?

First, pray in reverence

In other words, there is a higher law at work here. It’s not the law of the Republicans or Democrats. It’s not the law of the city of Hilliard or the state of Ohio. It’s not my law or your law. It’s not some law that we have concocted in our own head that says everything is okay as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. This is God’s law at work, and we are to pray in reverence to his law and his order over all of creation.

Second, we are to pray without vengeance.

The CSB uses the word “anger,” but I think that’s too weak. Many of us have a lot of hatred going into this election this year. Some of us may even wish a lightning bolt would strike and just take everybody out. But to whom does vengeance belong? That’s right—God!

Romans 12:19 says, Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.

Third, we are to pray without debate.

The CSB uses the word “argument,” and it literally means reasoning. It carries the idea of quarreling. In other words, it’s not our calling as Christians to protest and debate and complain and quarrel with the government. Paul didn’t tell Timothy to protest against Nero. In Acts, when Paul appeared before the Roman leaders, he didn’t protest their policies. He preached the gospel. Here in this passage, he tells us to pray. Do we vote? Yes—but not before we pray. Do we participate in government? Yes—but not before we pray. And in everything we do, we do to advance the cause of Jesus. That’s why God left us here.

So as we wrap this up, I want you to take a look at your life. What is the most important concern in your life right now? Is it the election? Is it politics? Is it the economy? Is it our national security? If so, you may have lost sight of the big picture, and I want to encourage you to encounter the good news of Jesus.

Jesus is king no matter who wins the election. And if you don’t let Jesus be your king now, then you will have much bigger problems to worry about than some election. And Jesus wants to be your king. You matter to him, and he loves you so much that he came to earth and died so that your sins could be erased and you could live with him forever in heaven.