Thought for Monday, 7 November 2022

 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (New Living Translation)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.  Pray this way for Kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

 

The objective of this verse appears to be to ‘live in peace and quietness’.  Well after the weekend just past, I for one, would certainly welcome some peace and quietness.  On Saturday night, I could best describe the sounds outside my house as constant small arms fire with frequent mortar explosions.  I could hear music coming from some house that might’ve been nearby (when I say music, it was really only the bass and drums I could hear – I couldn’t name the tune!).  Of course, when this was going on, the sky kept lighting up, going dark, lighting up, going dark again.  I was trying to watch rugby on the telly, which can be hard enough to follow at the best of times but with this carnage going on outside, it made it that wee bit more difficult.

 

There’s a big word I like which describes to some extent, some of the guidance from Jesus as to how we should behave, and that word is counterintuitive which is sometimes written with a hyphen (counter-intuitive), and it means ‘contrary to what seems intuitively right or correct’.

 

When we look at the politicians that run our country at Westminster and Edinburgh, our first instincts tend to level criticism at them because they do not appear to be doing the things we would like them to do and not saying the things we would like to hear them say.  Unlike our recently departed Queen, our new King has had his fair share of headlines over the years that could draw criticism.

 

These people in authority over us fall well short in behavioural terms in the same way that we do.  Paul is suggesting in today’s reading that he recognises this and that praying for them would be more productive than criticising them.  If the Lord intervenes to change the thinking of the leaders in society to make better decisions, the people they serve should eventually benefit in their day to day lives.

 

When we turn to prayer, many of us pray for the things that are happening in our own lives where we feel the intervention of the Holy Spirit would be of benefit to us.  Paul reminds us that we should be praying for ‘all people’.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift and privilege of prayer. It is amazing to realise that by faith in Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross, we have been given access into the very throne room of Almighty God to intercede on behalf of others and to offer our prayers and supplications to You. Teach us to pray properly and help us to develop an ongoing attitude of prayerful thanksgiving and reverential praise - for You alone are worthy. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.