“Do you pray for our President?” Mary arrested me in the parking lot at Tallowood. I had never met her. She didn’t know I would be her pastor. But she wondered whether I prayed for the President. I had not voted for this President. But he was still my President because I was and am a citizen of the U. S. I assured her that I did. She seemed satisfied with my answer. “Good because some people won’t pray for a person they disagree with,” she said as she scurried off.
How would you answer her? If the Apostle Paul lived in our country today, I believe he would pray for those we elect to office in our country. Why? He believed that good government could provide the opportunity for godly people to live peaceful lives.
Further, it pleases God when we pray for government leaders. Why? An orderly, peaceful country provides the freedom to share the good news of Jesus Christ. God, it turns out, “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Paul prayed for Roman emperors and local leaders because he wanted the freedom to preach. If Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all people, then all Christians ought to pray. In what posture? With holy hands lifted high, choosing not to argue or dispute with others. Remember Albrecht Durer’s famous drawing of praying hands? We are never more holy than when our hands are folded in prayer. It is hard to fight with our fists, nearly impossible really, when our hands are clasped in prayer.
Preparing for the funeral of my fellow pastor Chin Hong Kim, I was reminded that he prayed fervently. His son told me that when Chin and friends prayed they would say, “Fight!” They agonized and wrestled in prayer for God to save people. Do we? We must! This is how we fight our battles. On our knees.
