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Category Archives: 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 2:1-8

15 Sep

2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For,

There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.

This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 7 And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.

8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

1 Timothy 2:1-8

Dear God, wouldn’t it just be easier to complain about my leaders than to spend the time praying for them? Yes, I’m being sarcastic about this, but isn’t this what a lot of us do? What I do? If I were to count the number of words I’ve spent on praying for political leaders and compare it with the words used complaining about leaders or policies, well, the prayer words wouldn’t even show up on the scale the disparity would be so large.

So how should I pray for my local, state, and federal leaders, not to mention the leaders of other nations? My first prayer for them is that they will each experience you today. As I think about my local mayor, county judge, lieutenant governor, governor, vice president, and president, I pray that each of them will experience you today. That you will raise up people in their lives who will be your voice to them. That they will find time to get alone with you and pray. That you will do something supernatural in each of their lives that will help them to repent where necessary and lead as you have called them to lead. As I think about the politicians running for office in these mid-terms, I pray that you will influence all of them to yield to you first and not their constituents. I pray that you will not let anything happen in this country that is outside of your plan for the world. And for the world leaders who are making big decisions and impacting lives outside of their own countries (I’m thinking about wars in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza, not to mention conflicts in Africa and then the world powers like China), I pray that you would do something remarkable in each of their lives. Do something that will help your children. Ease pain. Feed the hungry. Save the wounded and sick. Bring repentance on all side. Bring mercy and forgiveness on all sides.

Father, even praying these prayers left me feeling very inadequate. I am not good at intercessory prayer. I don’t do it enough. But help me to do it so that your kingdom will come and your will might be done on earth as it is in heaven. When it comes to politics, I often say that I just have one vote and a very small sphere of influence. But I have more than anything else I can have. I have prayer. And I do pray for all of these people. Move supernaturally. Bring them to you. Love them. Have mercy on them. And help them to repent where necessary.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 15, 2025 in 1 Timothy

 

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1 Timothy 1:18-20

07 Nov

18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Dear God, the actual verse of the day today was 1 Timothy 2:1-2 on Bible Gateway, but when I went back to chapter 1 to get the context for why Paul was telling Timothy that, I found this paragraph. Verse 19 is where my head it today. Cling to my faith in you. Keep my conscience clear. I feel like those are my marching orders today. This is one of those times in my life when my spirit and heart “pretty much” believe what I am saying, but not completely. I “pretty much” have faith that you are in control and you aren’t letting anything happen that is beyond your will. I “pretty much” believe that the outcomes I see around me are within your plan for the world. But I guess this path just makes me sad. I don’t like it. I don’t want to walk it. I know the path I wanted, and while it was far from perfect it was known to me and I felt like I knew my way through it. Now I’m in a situation where I am not sure how to go forward.

So what I’ve told people is that my only job is to wake up in the morning, worship you, pray, and then go about my day loving everyone around me as much as possible, all while testifying to the gospel of your grace. And I “pretty much” believe that. Maybe it’s just a little grief I’m experiencing. Maybe I’m just a little sad. Maybe that’s why I’m just “pretty much” there and not all there. Maybe in another week or two I will be less sad and really living out completely what I’m just “pretty much” living out now.

Father, I have a day ahead of me. I need to visit a friend in the hospital. I need to go to a training in another town. I need to lead the people with whom I work. I need to love everyone I see. I need to take you to the world and represent you to them. I need to pray for my coworkers, volunteers, donors, and clients who are in pain. Who are recovering from surgeries. Who are facing family problems. And I do. I lift them up to you now. For my those I know in mourning (I have two that lost loved ones in the last week), I pray for their comfort and provision. For those I know facing physical challenges, I pray for their healing and provision. For those I know who are facing financial, emotional, parenting, etc. challenges, I pray for their provision, peace, and guidance. I pray that all of us will move from “pretty much” to “completely.” And for those who have made an idol out of who won and who lost the election and looked to that outcome as a source of their love, joy, peace, etc. instead of you, I pray for repentance and a turning of our hearts towards you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2024 in 1 Timothy

 

Lent Day 40

24 Mar

Dear God, I don’t have quite as much time this morning because I need to be at mass by 7:30. So I’m going to get right into these scriptures from Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer.

  • AM Psalms: 24, 29
  • PM Psalm; 103
  • AM Zechariah 9:9-12
  • PM Zechariah 12:9-13:9
  • Matthew 21:12-17
  • 1 Timothy 6:12-16

Psalms 24, 29 – I love these psalms because they are just raw praise. Oh, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, everything is yours. All glory to you.

Psalm 103 – David really knew how to worship you in poem/psalm. I think really appropriate worship of you is something I still am not as great at. Just really tuning into to how magnificent you are and expressing it. Maybe I need to work on that. I don’t know. There’s also this thing about style, and David and I do not have similar styles. But God, I do worship you. You are my God. You are everything.

Zechariah 9:9-12 – What a great and hopeful passage that helps give a context for the 70 years later that Jeremiah prophesied about. The exile is over. The sons and daughters of those who left are now coming back to restore what you had for them. Oh, great joy!

Zechariah 12:9-13:9 – I am not sure I’ve ever spent time with this prophecy of Jesus 500 years before his birth, but it is quite something. Beautiful in retrospect, but so sad in describing what Jesus is going to do and the mourning that will take place. The pain of Passion week. Just the pain. I don’t want to miss that this week.

Matthew 21:12-17 – Let the games begin, right? Offending the money changers and the Pharisees. Healing. People getting the wrong idea about you, Jesus, from both sides. Those that hated you didn’t understand. Those who adored you didn’t understand. Frankly, there are so many times I don’t understand what you are doing in the moment either. I don’t understand what you are doing in my life right not. Thankfully, I don’t have to understand. Guide me in this moment and give me your direction in what I should do now.

1 Timothy 6:12-16 – These last words of Paul to Timothy. Imploring him to “fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the eternal life to which [he] was called when [he] made [his] good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Help me to do the same.

I pray all of this in Jesus, and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2024 in 1 Timothy, Lent 2024, Matthew, Psalms, Zechariah

 

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1 Timothy 2

29 Jul
This image is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups compiled by Ned Bustard. The image is called “Eve with Fruit” and was created by Tanja Butler.

2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For,

There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. 6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.

This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 7 And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I’m not exaggerating—just telling the truth.

8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

1 Timothy 2

Dear God, I have to say, this is a tough one for me, starting with verse 11. Paul was so good with women and liberating to them. Jesus was the same. That’s what makes 1 Timothy 2:11-15 really hard for me. That and the fact that I know so many women who have something to teach me. Locally, my favorite preacher I’ve heard in town is a woman. She is the associate pastor of a church, but if I ever happen to visit on a day when she is preaching it is a good thing. I like her.

And I have to say, Paul blaming Eve for the fall back in the garden seems a little harsh too. Was Adam not there? Not a part of it? I just stopped this prayer to go and grab a biblical commentary written by Gary Demarest. He leaned into the idea of supporting women in leadership and confining Paul’s words to Timothy’s specific situation where he was serving and not women overall. He used Paul’s words in support of women serving and playing a major part in Christianity in other books such as Romans and Philippians to back that up. Overall, I don’t think Paul thought we would be still reading this specific letter he was writing to Timothy 2,000 years later.

With all of that said, what is this image of Eve created by Tanja Butler and what did she see in this story that she put down through this image? Frankly, it is hard for me to make a lot out in this image.

  • I see Eve with long hair cascading over her body. She appears to have not clothes, so this is “pre-fall.”
  • She is looking up as if looking at the fruit in the branches of the tree.
  • I see leaves and round items that I assume are the fruit she eats.
  • It looks like her hands are clasped together, but I don’t think she has a piece of the fruit yet. I think she’s just eyeing it longingly.
  • I’m surprised that I don’t see the serpent or Adam. I think Butler has her alone in this moment. I assume Satan has done his work and left her to sit with her temptation. Adam isn’t there to talk through it with her. It’s just her and the fruit. I’ve had that loneliness with temptation before. Just me, alone, longing to do something I shouldn’t do.

Bustard has an interesting take on the Adam and Eve story in his commentary on this passage and piece of art:

In a perfect world the only perfect and sinless woman that ever lived was fed the first lie…[ellipses his] and she bit. In the Garden of Eden, while sitting under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Eve was tricked. On the other hand, her husband was not taken in. Adams broke the Law knowingly. And he was punished for his disobedience. But that was not the end of it. Since Adam was the representative for all of humanity, his wife and all of their children were also punished for his sin in perpetuity. Part of the punishment was that both Adam’s labor and Eve’s labor were saddled with pain. As men and women have complementary gifts, they also have complimentary cursings. yet there is hope. Paul says that even in spite of the conditions of the curse (like the dangers of childbirth), the descendants of Even and Adam will be saved–if they continue on in the faith.

Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups, page 242.

Father, I think for me and this image, what is sticking with me is the solo image of Eve struggling with temptation. As I said, I’ve been alone with temptation before, whether in my office at work thinking through options to a problem, to being at home and wanting to do things that might satisfy my own desires and/or addictions. I guess this gives me a fresh look at the words, “And lead me not unto temptation, but deliver me from evil.” I offer that to you as my prayer this morning.

I pray this through the grace you offer me in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 29, 2023 in 1 Timothy, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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“Hypocrite”

21 Jun

Note on April 22, 2024: I originally wrote this prayer in the summer of 2023. This evening, I was listening to the Bible Project Podcast, and in the midst of their series on the Sermon on the Mount, they had a whole episode dedicated to the Word “hypocrite.” They redefined it for me, and I found that I have apparently either been misinformed or misunderstood the definition of the word the translators used to convey Jesus’s message. Apparently, a more accurate definition would be someone who is doing the things they say they (and you) should do, but they are only doing them for show. So it’s not what I thought, which is the old “do as I say, not as I do” definition, but it’s actually something that only God can tell if we are doing it or not. Only God can see our hearts and motives as we do what we do and say what we say. So this is another example of how my interpretation of scripture can be influenced by misunderstandings and my own lack of education. With that said, her is the prayer I prayed with the wrong definition in mind.

Dear God, I noticed that the New Testament reading for today for the Catholic church had the word “hypocrite” a couple of times. Both times, it was Jesus talking. I decided to take the New Living Translation and find out how many times the word is used in the Bible. As it turns out, it came up 21 times. Three times in the Old Testament (one in Psalms and two in Isaiah) and then 18 in the New Testament (13 in Matthew, one in Mark, two in Luke, one in Acts and one in 1 Timothy). So Matthew really seems to have zeroed in on this word and Jesus’s use of it. Therefore, I thought I would look at the instances when Matthew quotes Jesus as using it, courtesy of Bible Gateway.

  1. Matthew 6:2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  2. Matthew 6:5 Teaching about Prayer and Fasting“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  3. Matthew 6:16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  4. Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  5. Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  6. Matthew 22:18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  7. Matthew 23:13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  8. Matthew 23:15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  9. Matthew 23:23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  10. Matthew 23:25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  11. Matthew 23:27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  12. Matthew 23:29 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  13. Matthew 24:51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Jesus seemed to have very little tolerance for hypocrites. Perhaps this is something I should be careful about as I move through this life. Are there areas where I am hypocritical?

I guess hypocrisy is something that requires self-awareness because I know of very few people who are able to see their own hypocrisy in real time. Even now, as I try to search my heart, I try to think of areas where I might be hypocritical, but I can’t think of any. Am I a hypocrite? Almost certainly. Can I identify how? Apparently not.

I think hypocrisy starts with a spirit of judging others. Maybe that’s where I should start. Do I judge others and how do I judge others? If I am judging them for this thing or that, then the odds are probably good that I have some work to do on myself in that area–oh, and I need to stop the judging.

Father, there are six instances in Matthew 23 that includes the phrases “What sorry awaits you…” and “Hypocrites!” I recognize that this is partially Jesus getting the Pharisees riled up so they will crucify him. It’s also getting his last words in with them while he can. But the message is still true. If it is true with me, please reveal it to me. Holy Spirit, please reveal it to me. Jesus, please forgive me.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2023 in 1 Timothy, Acts, Isaiah, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Psalms

 

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1 Timothy 2:1-4

07 Nov

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4

Dear God. I got this verse from Bible Gateway’s verse of the day. I’m sure they picked it since tomorrow is election day, but it’s a great place to start. From my position in the world, there’s very little I can do to affect who governs me, but I could certainly pray for them for than I do. I could intercede on their behalf. I could ask you to help them. I could give thanks for them.

I was talking with my wife this morning about how much society asks us to fear things. Politicians want us to fear something so we will vote for them. The media wants us to fear something so we will click on their link. Fear, fear, fear. I was talking with a friend yesterday about “lesbian story hour at the public library.” When they asked me about that I asked, “Is it happening here?” She said no, she didn’t think so. I responded, then why should I care what someone is doing somewhere else in the country? What happened to power to the local government? We wouldn’t want someone in San Francisco to tell us we have to have lesbian story hour at our public library any more than they would want us to tell them to have Bible time at theirs. But there’s fear behind it all. Fear that they are comingto get us. Well, we will lose any influence we have over them, or credibility with them, if all we do is attach them.

Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, help me to be an instrument of your peace. Help me to not make idols out of safety, but embrace you as my only hope. The people elected tomorrow are not my hope. Not a single one of them. They will fail. They will do the wrong things. That’s okay. Help them. Love them. Somehow bring us to a bottoming out as society that will help us to rebound and embrace you as not only the god we name (with a little g), but our true God whom we worship with all our mind, soul, and strength.

I pray this through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection that covers my sin from your holy eyes,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2022 in 1 Timothy

 

1 Timothy 2:1-6

28 Mar

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6

Dear God, I guess this would be a good time to pray for everyone. Pray for Putin, Zelensky, and everyone in Ukraine and Russia. Pray for world leaders in general. They need you. We need you. I hate not only the death, but the terrorization of people. The trauma. The devastation. There are 9 refugees (3 women and 6 children) living in our small town right now and we are looking at different ways to help them, but given everything that is wrong in their lives there is so little we can do. Their husbands/fathers are home in Ukraine fighting.

Father, this is one of those times when I need the Holy Spirit to pray with moanings to deep for understanding. Holy Spirit, move in the hearts of those who are making decisions. Give the Ukrainians success on the battlefield and end this war quickly. Let the world survive this conflict without it escalating further. Help us all to be drawn to you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 28, 2022 in 1 Timothy

 

1 Timothy 1:18-2:4

07 Nov

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God. I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
1 Timothy 1:18-2:4

Dear God, the passage today for Bible Gateway was verses 1 and 2, where Paul urges Timothy to pray for all people and leaders. But it’s another instance where we’ve been given false barriers between scriptures for the sake of chapter separations and section headings. They meant well, but they can really change the meaning of a piece.

This one is a good example. Paul wrote these words as one. He connected clinging to faith and being careful about people who blaspheme you with praying for others. He is encouraging Timothy to “fight well in the Lord’s battles.” Do this by:

  • Clinging to your faith
  • Keeping you conscience clear
  • Praying for all people
  • Giving thanks for people
  • Praying for “kings” and those in authority
  • Praying for peaceful and quiet lives (although I have to wonder if sometimes you don’t give us this so we will not be lulled into slumber)

I was speaking Friday morning with a friend and he told me that he has trouble praying for our current president and his administration because he vehemently disagrees with his policies. Now, full disclosure, I don’t pray for any of our leaders very well or often, regardless of whether or not I agree with them, but in this case he intimated that he prayed for the previous president and his administration. I asked him why it was harder for this administration. If anything, I would have thought the parts of this administration that bother him would make praying for them easier.

So what about me? What am I to do about praying for our leaders? Whether they be local community leaders, the members of my board of directors at work (for whom I almost never pray), and then state, federal and worldwide leaders. Also leaders within our church. Even this morning our church asked that we pray for our two main priests as they go to a conference this week. After having read this passage before church, I took note of it and thought that I do need to pray for them regarding this trip and conference. I need to honor that request.

Father, the truth is, I’m terrible about intercessory prayer. It is just not a priority for me and it’s something I do not make a priority. I make times like this a priority, but I do not make other times and types of prayer a priority. Guide me in that. Help me to be better and please help me to also cling strongly to my faith and keep my conscience clear.

In Jesus’s name I pray

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2021 in 1 Timothy

 

1 Timothy 2:5-6

29 Mar

For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Dear God, I’m not sure if this goes with this passage or not, but I heard a sermon yesterday that left a couple of things resonating with me.

The first: There is a difference between being a believer in Jesus and a follower of Jesus. There are plenty of Americans who “believe” in Jesus but are not true “followers.” Unfortunately, they do not see the difference. It’s another way of putting the phrase that occurred to me several years ago: Some people have Christianity as their philosophy, but they aren’t following God. When I think about this, I think about the people who identify as Christians and yet stormed the capitol building on January 6. Those people were working through a process of self-righteous anger, but they were not following anything Jesus ever taught.

The second: Temptation will lead us in two areas–gratification and protection. Those two areas are terrible leaders and will cause us to do bad things.

I guess there was a third thing he said that caught my ear. If you have a God that will put up with you just deciding you can sin because he will forgive you later, then you have a weak God who can be hoodwinked and fooled. I’m adding this part to what he said, but when I repent later, I also need to repent and turn from that attitude as well.

So going back to this verse, I am so grateful for Jesus, my mediator. I am grateful for the love you give me, a foolish, foolish man. I am grateful for your forgiveness even when I treat you like you are a fool. I’m sorry when I follow the terrible leaders of gratification and protection. I’m sorry for sometimes acting like a believer and not a follower. I’m sorry, Father. I’m truly sorry.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 29, 2021 in 1 Timothy

 

1 Timothy 2:1-2

07 Nov

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Dear God, yes, maybe this morning I should just spend some time praying for our leaders and our country. So for what should I pray?

  • Your glory to reign in the hearts of our leaders
  • The pain that is happening right now will be redeemed and fulfill your purposes. That it won’t be wasted. You will. Make it count.
  • Integrity in the process.
  • For the safety of election workers and all political officials involved in the count.
  • Wisdom for the decision makers.
  • That those who are charged with watching out for our safety 24/7 (FBI, CIA, military, law enforcement, etc.) will be given insight, wisdom, and discernment to continue to do their jobs well.
  • That you will give those making decisions about pandemic response the strength and wisdom to lead us as a nation, and that you will spare as many lives and as much pain as possible.
  • That you will give the winners of the elections the wisdom to lead our nation under your guidance, and those who did not win the grace to step aside and be a constructive influence on the future.
  • That our bottom as a nation will not have to go any lower in terms of division and hatred before we start to rebound.
  • That your church will know its role in the country. Where we should and should not be involved in politics. How we should respond to COVID-19. What new roots we should be developing sine our old paradigms have been shattered.
  • That those in need will have their needs met. From housing, to hunger, to medical care, to safety from violence, please raise up your church to meet these needs.

Father, these are just some of the things I can pray. I could sit here all day. Holy Spirit, move in our land. Take the Father’s presence into every office, every home, every business, every government agency. Bring repentance first to the church and then to the nation. And that starts with me. I’m sorry for the hate in my heart. I’m sorry for how I’ve judged people. I’m sorry for my hubris. I’m sorry I not been as grateful to you as I should be. I’m sorry I haven’t given you the glory you deserve. I love you, and I am sorry.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2020 in 1 Timothy

 
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