1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
Prayer is the lifeline to God, and its importance cannot be overstated. If we believe God is really there and that He is personal, then we must develop this central part of our Christian walk. Indeed, we speak of following Jesus; to do that we need to communicate with Him. So Paul gives of first importance instruction to Timothy about prayer.
Notice that this follows his teaching that Timothy should “fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:17–19). Spiritual battle requires a direct line to command central. The urgency of this undertaking puts it on the same footing as the command to confront false teachers (1 Tim. 1:3) and to live the sacrificial life (Rom. 12:1). Dave Anderson tells the story of a utility company representative who was assigned to go to homes door to door in order to gain access. But the man was so lazy that he knocked very lightly so that hardly anyone heard and let him in. Some people are like that in prayer with God and don’t knock very loudly at God’s door. But if we want to be of service to God, we must pray urgently so that the Lord knows we really desire Him.
Prayer is undoubtedly a privilege in that we have access to the very throne room of the Creator God of the universe (Heb. 4:16). There we find grace and mercy and the honor of interceding for others. Prayer is also an obligation that we need to pursue with discipline. We may find it difficult to delineate between the four words used for prayer (one of which is the word “prayer” itself). Possibly Paul is speaking poetically rather than precisely, meaning to cover all aspects of prayer. In English, entreaties and petitions seem to overlap, both indicating specific concerns that we bring before God on behalf of either ourselves or others (but as we shall see the example given is on behalf of political rulers). Prayer is the general term for all kinds of communication with God. And of course, thanksgiving refers to the posture of the heart as expressed through verbal expressions to God, confessing our continued dependence upon and appreciation of God’s movement in our lives.
Of interest here is Paul’s application of prayer for political rulers. The motivation is for the Christians’ benefit, that we may live life undisturbed by political oppression, and be unhindered in the spread of the Word.
Lord, I pray for governing leaders that they would not oppress us. Let me take full advantage of the peace we have for the spread of the gospel.
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