How and why should we pray for our leaders?

(V. 2). Especially we are called upon to pray for kings and all that are in authority — those who are in a position to influence the world for good or evil. It is not simply for “the king” or “our king” for whom we are to pray, but “for kings”. This presumes that we realise our link with the Lord's people all the world over as forming part of the house of God, and the true position of the church as standing in holy separation from the world, taking no part in its politics or government. In the world, but not of it, the church has the high privilege of praying, interceding and giving thanks on behalf of those who do not pray for themselves.

The Apostle gives two reasons for the prayers for all men. Firstly, prayer for kings and all in authority is called for in view of the Lord's people throughout the world. We are to seek that the sovereign goodness of God may so control the rulers of this world that His people may lead “a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity”. It is evidently God's mind that His people should, in passing through this hostile world, lead a quiet life, not asserting themselves as if they were citizens of this world, in tranquillity that refrains from taking part in the world's disputes, in piety that recognises God in every circumstance of life, and in practical gravity before men. Of old the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to God's captive people in Babylon, exhorting them to seek the peace of the city in which they were held in bondage, by praying to the Lord for it: for, says the prophet, “in the peace thereof shall ye have peace ” (Jeremiah 29:7). In the same spirit we are to seek the peace of the world, in order that God's people may have peace.

(Vv. 3, 4). Then a second reason is given for the prayers of God's people on behalf of all men. To pray for all men is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved.” We are to pray, not only in view of the good of all saints, but also in view of the blessing of all men.

The world may at times persecute God's people and seek to vent upon them all the hatred of their hearts towards God. Unless we walk in self-judgment, such treatment would arouse the flesh in resentment and retaliation. Here we learn that it is “good and acceptable in the sight of God” to act and feel towards all men, as God Himself does, in love and grace. Thus we are to pray for “all men”, not simply for those who govern well, but also for those who use God's people despitefully (Luke 6:28). We are to pray, not for retributive judgment to overtake the persecutors of God's people, but that in sovereign grace they may be saved.

1 Timothy 2. Here we find the public attitude of Christianity. All should breathe of loving goodwill toward man and the chiefs of the world, even if heathen and persecuting. "I exhort therefore first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all men; for kings and all that are in authority, … for this is good and acceptable before God our Saviour, Who wisheth that all men be saved and come unto full knowledge of truth. For there is one God, one mediator also of God and men, a man Christ Jesus Who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times; to which I was set preacher and apostle (I speak truth, I lie not), teacher of nations in truth and love" (vers. 1-7). Grace rises above all natural thoughts, feelings, and ways, and calls on those who believe to bear a living witness of "God our Saviour", Who is willing to save all that bow to Jesus, the ransom for all. Such is the testimony; and now that the cross on man's side proves the guilt of all, Jews and Gentiles, the same cross on God's side proclaims salvation to all that believe.

If our nation retaliates against criminal activity, the believer is to submit to the authorities, as Romans 13:1 teaches us, not to mount a protest against what the government does. Also believers are told to thank God for and pray for those in authority, as is seen in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. In fact, we are not only to thank God and pray for authorities in our own nation, but "for kings and all that are in authority," so that it includes authorities in other nations also. For it is God who "rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses" (Dan 4:32). Popular vote does not decide this matter, for God has already decided what the popular vote will be, and He is concerned about all nations, certainly not only nations that agree with our nation. Yet we may well pray that our own nation may act righteously, for while it is grace that exalts believers personally; "righteousness exalts a nation" (Prov. 14:34), not grace.

"Supplication" involves earnest entreaty, certainly no mere "saying of prayers," but the desire earnestly expressed. "Prayer" is making request in a dependent spirit. "Intercessions" refers to having an audience with God on behalf of others. But "giving of thanks" is most salutary here. We may little think of this in regard to "all men," but it is the Word of God. All are His own creatures, and whatever their character or conduct, we are told to give thanks for them, as well as to pray for them. Let us never forget it. This will serve to help us to maintain a proper attitude toward them.

Kings and all who are in authority are specially singled out as to this. It is God who has put them in this place, whatever the form of government may be, or whatever abuses of true government may appear. Elsewhere we are told to obey those who are in authority, but never told to use our influence in reference to who should rule, or how he should do it. Of course, obedience to God is supreme above all obedience to government; and there may be occasions when one must deliberately disobey the government in order to obey God. But in the main, a spirit of obedience to God will be seen in an attitude obedient to government. Add to this prayer and giving of thanks, and the tendency will always be toward our leading a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. No doubt abnormal conditions may exist where government is viciously determined to destroy Christianity; but here a more normal condition of things is contemplated.

Being "good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" certainly implies that such prayer is a verbal offering to God who is pleased with it. And though He is the eternal God, His very character is that of "Savior" - certainly manifested as such in the person of Christ - and prayer of this kind is consistent with His own gracious desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. To be saved certainly comes first, yet it does not end here: the knowledge of the truth is a matter also of great importance; so that our prayers for others are not to be confined to requests for salvation, but for their learning the precious truth of God.

(V. 1). The house of God is characterised as the place of prayer. The petitions that ascend to God from His house are to be marked by “supplications”, or earnest pleadings, for special needs arising in particular circumstances; by “prayers”, which express general desires appropriate for all times; by “intercessions”, implying that believers are in that nearness to God that can plead on behalf of others; and, lastly, by “thanksgiving”, which speaks of a heart conscious of the goodness of God that delights to answer the prayers of His people.

Our prayers for those in authority have a good deal of reference to ourselves: it is that we may be permitted to live godly lives in quietness and tranquillity. Those who compose God's house should carry upon them the stamp of godliness, and although times of persecution may be overruled of God for the promotion of courage and endurance amongst His people, yet it is in times of quietness and rest that most[ly] they are edified and established, as Acts 9:31 bears record.

But in praying for all men generally our requests are to be purely evangelic. The God whom we approach is a Saviour God who desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Have we come to the knowledge of the truth ourselves? Then we have found it to be salvation and we are put into touch with a Saviour God and His character is stamped upon us. He desires the salvation of men and so do we. In our case the natural outlet for our evangelic desires is prayer.

In the first place, in fact, we have the insistence here upon prayer, not for ourselves, but for others. The natural order, perhaps, with us would be first of all for ourselves, and then for others. The apostle reverses this: "I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings, and all that are in pre-eminence," all those who stand out, evidently, from the mass as influential, in one way or another, for good or for evil, with regard to those amongst whom they move. It is true that there is a reference here to ourselves also, the result of the blessing of these, in our being able ourselves to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all piety and gravity; but we are not to think of that as if it were the whole of it; for we are immediately reminded that "this is good and acceptable before God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

"FOR KINGS, AND FOR ALL THAT BE IN AUTHORITY." Not for one king only; we are to honour the one king under whose rule we are (1 Peter 2:16), but to pray for kings, and all who rule; for the liberty of the Christian to serve God, and an open door for the gospel depends so much upon the acts of rulers of the earth, and it should be a matter of equal concern to us that God's people are able to serve Him, and that the gospel should be unhindered in other lands as in this. God's testimony — that He is a Saviour-God — is for all men, and we must connect ourselves with this world-wide grace, or we shall be out of the current of God's thoughts.

And, first, as to prayer. (2) The gospel of the grace of God being preached, prayer was to be made for all men, and the spirit of supplication might rightly go out on behalf of rulers and all that are in authority, whatever their ways towards Christians might be, that under the shelter of their rule, government being maintained, Christians might lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity. But whilst this could result from prayer on behalf of rulers, no one on earth was excluded from the offer of grace. Thus the everlasting interests of any man, whether a ruler or a subject, might form the burden of a Christian's supplication, and be well-pleasing to our Saviour God, who is willing that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth; and this was evidenced by the gospel. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, the testimony to be borne in its own times, for which Paul was appointed a herald and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

"I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men, for kings and all that are in high rank, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and gravity. *For this (is) good and acceptable before our Saviour God, Who desireth, that all men should be saved and come unto full knowledge of truth" (vers. 1-4). It is not here the counsels of God in all their immense extent and heavenly glory, but rather what is consistent with the nature of God revealed in Christ and published everywhere by the gospel. Such is the character of our Epistle, and is the ground on which the apostle insists upon a spirit of peace on the one hand and of godly order on the other. In accordance with this he exhorts that the saints should be marked by a desire of blessing for all mankind: the very reverse of that proud austerity which the heathen bitterly resented in the later Jews. It was the more important to press this gracious attitude, inasmuch as it is of the very essence of the church to stand in holy separateness from the world, as a chaste virgin espoused to Christ. With light or harsh minds this separation easily degenerates into a sour self-complacency; which repels from, instead of attracting to, Him Whose rights over all it is the prime duty of the church to assert, Whose glory and Whose grace ought to fill every mouth and heart with praise. From a misuse of his privileges a Jew was ever in danger of scorning the Gentile, and not least those in high place, with a bitter contempt for such of their brethren as served the Gentile in the exaction of tribute, the sign of their own humiliation. In their national ruin they had more than all the pride of their prosperity, and judged their heathen masters with a sternness ill-suited to those who had lost their position, for a time at least, through their constant yielding to the worst sins of the Gentiles.