1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
Upheaval, disaster, oppression, restriction of freedoms, threats, and economic failure can all bring people to an awareness of their need for Jesus Christ, and at the same time cleanse and purify the church. But these verses indicate that troublesome situations are not what we should be praying for. Rather, we are to pray (asking, interceding, giving thanks) for “kings and all who are in authority” that God would enable us to “live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” In other words, pray that the church will thrive in a free environment where people can hear the truth freely, follow Jesus openly, and grow in their faith in gatherings with other believers.
Father, it is a great blessing to live in a free land in which your church has thrived and been a blessing to all the nations of the earth. Yet, freedoms are constantly under attack and the forces of evil are arrayed on all sides against your people. Please protect us and keep us strong. Cleanse your people from petty divisions and worldly distractions. Lift our eyes to you and your purposes, that we might use our freedom to help the oppressed and to communicate the gospel with boldness. Sweep through this country and lands across the world with revival. And please bring hope and safety to Christians living under oppression everywhere in the world.