A Prayer for Our Country

Introduction (read the text)

I invite you to open your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 2. We’ll be reading verses 1-6.

1 Timothy 2:1–6 HCSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, 6 who gave Himself—a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.

Will you pray with me.

Father, we thank you for your grace and mercy that while we were sinners Christ died for all. We pray that our hearts reflect your love for all and our prayers do as well. This morning we pray that we understand you better and it shapes how we live and pray in your name.

Amen

Context of 1 Timothy

On his second missionary journey Timothy, a young man likely around 20 years old joined Paul in his missionary ministry.

Paul found in Timothy an excellent partner. Joining with him on his second, and then third missionary journey Timothy served faithfully at Paul’s side and was often sent ahead to prepare for Paul or remained behind to continue Paul’s work as Paul journeyed on.

Here in 1 Timothy we are coming to the end of Paul’s ministry and Timothy has been serving this way for well over ten years. After being released from prison in Rome Paul has journeyed back to churches and has left Timothy behind in Ephesus.

In this letter Paul writes to encourage Timothy. Chapter one introduces this letter and it’s purpose, for Timothy to “instruct certain people not to teach different doctrine.” He concludes his introduction by calling on Timothy to “strongly engage in battle.” This is metaphorical language, but you see Timothy is to fight for the church holding on to the faith and teachings they’ve received.

Even now some have shipwrecked their faith, but Timothy is called to turn turn the rudder back the right directions.

How We Pray for Our Country (1 Tim 2:1-2)

First of all, then

When we read in 2:1 “first of all then,” Paul is getting down to business. He’s said Timothy to battle and here is the battleground for holding to truth and the first step to victory in holding on to Godly faith.

Prayer!

Faithfully praying together as a church.

Wow, prayer is the first priority for a church struggling with shipwrecked faith. It’s the first priority in worshipping God rightly. And what does this prayer look like? How are we to pray?

How are we to pray?

Petitions/supplications

Requests made to God

Emphasis: Awareness of our insufficiency and our need for God’s help

Prayers

Generic Greek word for prayer

Emphasis: devotion and worshipful attitude towards God

Intercessions

The Greek word related to meeting with, like like going before a king with a request.

Can be used as a general word for prayer but often is used for prayers for other people.

Emphasis: Our confidence in boldly approaching God’s throne.

Thanksgiving

Expressing gratitude to God.

Greek word: eucharistia the same root word as Eucharist a word still used by many Christian traditions to refer to the Lord’s Supper or communion.

Emphasis: The first three emphasis our requests to God and this emphasizes our ability to recognize God’s goodness and work in our lives even through unexpected means.

For Everyone

Notice who Paul is urging Timothy and the church in Ephesus to pray for. My translation says for everyone. In the Greek this says “all men” meaning “all humanity,” “all people.” In these 6 verses Paul uses a combination of these words “all” and “mankind” six time.

Pray for everyone - all people

And for- all who are in authority

So that we can live in - all godliness

Because God wants everyone - all people to be saved

One mediator between God and - humanity

Jesus gave Himself - a ransom for all

God doesn’t call us to only pray for ourselves, or our friends or families, but God calls us to pray for everyone, for all people.

Remember Paul had just gotten out of jail imprisoned by Jewish and Roman authorities. It would be so easy for Paul to mobilize political action to use prayer as a tool to fight against these authorities. but he says to pray for them with petitions, prayers, intercessions, and most shockingly of all thanksgiving.

There may be a time for doing good through politics or government- think of the tax collectors, Roman soldiers, Pharisees who met Christ and beame much more faithful servants through their jobs. There may be times for changing the system, for critiquing the government, for resisting a government.

Those things may find their place, in a Christ-like way in some believers lives but here, when Paul addresses the first priority for Timothy, the first priority for the church in Ephesus, and I believe the first priority for us as Christians today he urges us to pray in every way we can for everyone and with a special urgency and concern to pray for those who effect everyone -that is the kings and the rulers and authority- that we might live quiet, peaceful lives in all godliness and dignity.

Why We Pray for Our Country (1 Tim 2:3-4)

And why do we pray for everyone? Why do we pray for all of our leaders who effect everyone around us?

This is Good

Because it is good and it pleases God.

Well what does that accomplish? You might ask. But think for just a moment of the goodness of God. What greater joy could there be than pleasing our loving and gracious Father? What greater good could you do than what God himself calls good?

God cares about our ability to live quiet lives, godly lives. To live with dignity.

God cares about our prayers for the leaders of our country and our prayers for the people of our country.

As we thank God for the freedoms we have, as we intercede for God to guide our leaders so that they may guide our country well we are praying for something that God approves of it pleases God.

To be Saved

But God’s goodness and care is much more than even our best human leaders.

Paul reminds Timothy that God wan’ts everyone, all people to be saved” and come to the knowledge of truth.

Our prayers for country should be grounded in this reality- of God’s great love and offer of salvation. This goodness that we find life in Christ.

It’s easy for us to lose sight of that and allow our prayers to follow the news cycle which generates revenue by stoking the flames of anger, fear, and division.

That’s not why we pray for our country. No we pray because of our trust in a good God and because of God’s love for everyone, for all people.

Who God is and Why it Matters (1 Tim 2:4-6)

In the final two verses of this section Paul quotes a creed or hymn from the early church to illustrate this.

If I were Timothy I might be hoping for more clear list rules to implement on how to pray but instead Paul offers a clear picture of who God is.

One God

In Ephesus many people worshipped many God’s. Throughout the Roman empire people were called to pray TO the emperor. Paul rejected this by saying to pray for kings like the emperor not to him and that are prayers are directed to one God. The God of the Hebrew Bible, creator of heaven and earth.

One Mediator

To Jesus Christ, the one mediator, the one who intervenes between to separated parties. We had separated from God in our sin and it is Jesus who makes us right with God.

He is fully God, and fully human and died as a ransom for all people.

This is the gospel, the good news that Jesus took our place, restoring our relationship with God, making us children of God.

This is the God of Israel, but it’s not just good news for Israel, it’s good news for all people.

The good news of who God is and and what he’s done, and that it’s for all people,changed Paul’s life. His life became about sharing this good news.

Conclusion

And now, Paul is saying this good news should inform how we pray. Just as God loves, our prayers should be guided by love. Just as God loves all people, we should pray for all people.

We should pray for our country. We should pray for our leaders. But I invite you to turn away from the news and politicians and all the voices loudly calling for your attention, emotions, and maybe dollars and look to God, remember the good news, and pray for everyone.