Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Romans 12:19-13:7

Dear God, I’ve always found this passage fascinating. For a guy who ended up being killed for disobeying the authorities over him (in this case, the church and then the government), this is an interesting take on authority. How could he say this? Did he think that what he and the other apostles were doing was wrong? Did he just think it was worth getting in trouble?

I think the thing I’m learning to appreciate about Paul is that he never complained about how the church, the government, or even you treated him. Now, I might be forgetting some verses, but, for the most part, Paul accepted the consequences of his actions. He considered his life worth nothing to him.

In a modern day sense, I think of Martin Luther King, Jr. He would submit himself to the authorities while trying to let them know where he thought they had blinders. In the end, he changed a lot of hearts while working within the system (including imprisonment). I suppose Nelson Mandela is another example, although I don’t know his story as well as I should.

Father, help me to respect whomever I need to respect and to be your example. If I need to respect leaders of either party in Washington, help me to do that. If I need to object to anything they are doing, help me to do that in a way that honors you and accepts the consequences of my actions. And I pray for everyone in Washington right now. Whether they are prosecuting someone, defending someone, defending themselves, or testifying for or against others, I pray that you will be very present and provide for their safety. Make all of this pain count. Make it count for the individuals, the country, and the world. And reveal your truth and bring all of us into submission to you. Help us to be the United States of America.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen