Start your day with quick daily devotions: February 22, 2021

Along with the Lord's Prayer, which we have thoroughly examined this month, many other biblical texts give us useful insights for prayer in our daily life.

Scripture reading - 1 Timothy 2: 1-7 I urge. . . that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and those in authority, so that we can live a peaceful and peaceful life in all devotion and holiness. - 1 Timothy 2: 1-2

In his first letter to Timothy, for example, the apostle Paul exhorts us to pray for “all people”, emphasizing the need to pray for “those who have authority” over us. Behind this direction lies Paul's belief that God has placed our leaders in authority over us (Romans 13: 1). Amazingly, Paul wrote these words during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, one of the most anti-Christian rulers of all time. But the advice to pray for rulers, good and bad, was not new. More than 600 years earlier, the prophet Jeremiah urged the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah to pray for the "peace and prosperity" of Babylon, where they were taken as prisoners (Jeremiah 29: 7).

When we pray for people in authority, we recognize God's sovereign hand in our lives and societies. We plead with God to help our rulers rule with justice and fairness so that all can live in the peace that our Creator intended. With these prayers we ask God to use us as his agents. Prayers for our rulers and leaders come from our commitment to share Jesus' love and mercy with our neighbors.

Prayer: Father, we trust you as the righteous ruler of all. Bless and guide those who have authority over us. Use us as witnesses of your goodness and mercy. Amen.