Praying for Leaders, part three

Galatians 2:2 

 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.

There is a misconception running rampant. I’m bringing it up as a warning, that we would be aware and not fall into the trap.

Many think we’re supposed to pray and God will make stuff happen for us.

That’s not what prayer is all about.

Prayer is about developing a relationship with God. We are supposed to listen to God, talk to God, and do what he tells us.

It’s really that simple. The praise and worship happens naturally when you get to know God. You can’t help but worship someone who loves you so completely and strengthens you for tasks that fill you with joy.

So while we’re praying for our leaders, we can be asking God if there is something we should be doing. Our job is to pray for leaders, but if God gives us something to say to them, then we should not hesitate to obey God.  

Paul, the author of the book of Galatians, made a private appointment with some leaders because he had received revelation from God. He didn’t do it as a dare he’d accepted from one of his buddies. He didn’t buy a table at a fund-raiser so he could pin down a politician and preach to him, just because he felt it should be done.

If God reveals something to us, we should act on it like Paul did.

However, there is a difference between being sent by God and doing something because you think someone should be doing it. If you take action because of a revelation from God, you are acting under his authority. You’re an ambassador. But if you just go and do because you want to go and do, God didn’t send you. You’re on your own. Don’t be surprised if you’re not successful.

Sometimes prayer is followed by specific action, but let the action be directed by God.

Praying for Leaders, part two

Nehemiah 9:17 

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them

God is a good Heavenly Father. He sees his children as a work in progress. He isn’t finished with us yet. Many of us try to work out our problems with our own wisdom and strength. A few of us know we need God’s wisdom and strength. But God loves us all, no matter where we are in our journey to spiritual maturity.

When I read in the book of Nehemiah about what happened when the wall had been repaired, I found it interesting to see how they approached God. The wall was completed. People came to be registered. They had a festival. And then they confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors before they asked anything of God.

Funny to hear the way people pray to God today. We ask a lot from God without celebrating the fact that he is with us and we can have a relationship with him. We save our praises for those moments when we see that God has answered our prayers.

Are we willing to learn from this? Before we ask God to do anything, we can confess our own sins. We can confess the sins of those we follow, not in accusations, but as if we had done it ourselves. We can praise God for his abundant mercy. He is the God who loves us and sent Jesus to die for us while we were yet sinners.

If we run around in our arrogance telling God what to do, we’re doing it wrong. Let’s make it right by seeking God together during this month, the month we celebrate Thanksgiving.

Praying for Leaders, part one

Romans 8:26-27 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

 Spiritual mysteries spark a lot of conversation in some church groups. We talk about what we think the Bible means. However, I’ve found that God says what he means and means what he says. Our problem is that we don’t know what he’s talking about sometimes.

It’s the day after the Presidential election, and some people are happy while others are sad. Some people are wondering why God allowed this to happen, and others are thanking God that it did. That’s the way it goes with elections.

But if you and I are brothers and sisters in Christ because of the unity of the Spirit, we can all pray together as one for God to use us to bless our country. We can show proper respect for our leaders just like God tells us to in the second chapter of First Peter.

I’ve seen the question on faces of people who voted and became frustrated when the other guy won. “How do I pray for someone I don’t agree with?”

God wants us to pray according to the Bible. There are many passages in the Bible which lead us to pray for the protection of others. But God also gives us power by the Spirit of God to pray those mysteries known only to God. This is how we pray God’s will when we don’t know God’s will.

In First Corinthians 14:14, we read, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” Our job is to trust God when we understand and when we don’t understand. Our job is to not let the world change us, but let God change us. Change for the better will occur, starting with each one of us, when we let God change us down deep inside. For that to happen, we must keep our focus on God, not social media, not politics, not the weather, not public opinion.

God is able to change anything. Do you want him to change you?