Special Day of Prayer

"He wants all people to be saved and to learn the truth. There is one God. There is also one mediator between God and humans—a human, Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for all people to free them from their sins." 1 Timothy 2:4-6

Today, June 2, 2019, has been labeled a "Special Day of Prayer for the President." My reason for mentioning this is not to give my opinions about the President. Regarding this day, one prominent Christian wrote, "This is a critical time for America. We’re on the edge of a precipice. Time is short. We need to pray for God to intervene. We need to ask God to protect, strengthen, encourage, and guide the President. We know that God hears and answers prayer. He can soften hearts and change minds. He is all-powerful, and He rules over the affairs of nations. The Bible instructs us to pray for those in authority, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:2–3). On June 2, we ask that pastors would lead their congregations in praying for the President, that Sunday schools and other groups would join together and pray, and that individuals and families across the country would have a special focus on praying for the President that day." This is a noble cause to engage in. Our leaders, regardless of our political affiliation, need our prayers of support. I notice that the passage of scripture focused on has an interesting section. It says to pray so "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." While I could be wrong, the use of this section of the passage almost comes across as having a selfish motive. Are we told to pray for the President so that we can benefit from it just as much if not more than the President?  After all, the passage says to pray so that "we may" benefit from it. It is human nature to desire a life where we are able to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. This is understandable given the difficulty that life can offer to all of us. Therefore, if we believe the President has it in mind to pursue policies that lighten the burden of our lives, it makes perfect sense for us to pledge our support for them both with our vote and with our prayers. Besides, if we can persuade God to use His powers to impact the outcomes we desire why not do so? However, it stands to reason that when a President is in office whom we disagree with or who we don't want to have success, that there are people of our same faith who may be offering up prayers of support for the President. How are we to reconcile praying for our leaders so that we may "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence," when there are other Christians who may be praying for the exact opposite of what we desire?

A wise man once said, and I paraphrase, "When we don't understand something about God and His word, it probably means there is something wrong with us and our understanding rather than with God." God is not the author of confusion. Therefore, when something is confusing it means that we probably don't understand it. When it comes to praying for our leaders, in general, and our President, specifically, I believe we are missing something in plain sight in this passage from 1 Timothy 2. I am of the opinion that God wants us to pray that our leaders get saved. In 1 Timothy 2:4, it says God "wants all people to be saved and learn the truth." When you come to saving faith in Jesus Christ and He is meeting the deepest desires of your heart, you begin to see the world from God's point of view instead of your own. Therefore, if you find yourself in the position of leadership, the decisions you make and the policies you pursue will reflect this truth. Now, this may lead to our ability to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence," but only to the extent that those opposed to us are willing to allow us to do so. You don't have to look too far to see how difficult it is for a Christian to live in peace in this world, especially outside of the United States. We must remember that Jesus said, "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me before it hated you (John 15:18)." If the President is not saved, but still pursues policies that are friendly to the Christian, it still doesn't guarantee that we may benefit from those policies. It is exactly the same if the President is saved. Remember, Jesus said, "make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)." God's goal is that everyone is saved. A side effect may be that we have Christian leaders who help improve our quality of life, but this is not the main objective of our faith and our prayers for those in positions of authority. In the end, only what is eternal is what matters most. This life we live, even if we are fortunate enough to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence," will come to an end one day. When we step into eternity and come face to face with the Living God of the Universe, the only thing that will matter is are we alive to Him through faith in Jesus Christ or not? When you pray for someone, pray that they are saved or, if they are saved, that they come to a deeper understanding of their Lord. If you don't come to Jesus during your life, it doesn't matter what else you are able to get from it. Yes, God protects, strengthens, encourages, and guides. He can soften hearts and change minds. However, He does all this so a person will be saved by accepting Jesus Christ. A President needs our prayers. However, they need our God and Savior more.