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“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jer. 29:12).
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mk. 11:24).
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (Jam. 5:16).
The above verses are a handful on prayer in the Bible that would help encourage Christians to pray better. Prayer is the most powerful resource in our communion with God. Verses that stand out as particularly challenging are also found in 1 Tim. 2: 1-2: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Paul encouraged us to pray for “all people”. This includes such people as that grumpy, grouchy relative, obnoxious neighbour or pushy boss – in short, our family, brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and foes alike. In particular, we need to give our attention to those people in authority. It is interesting to note that this letter was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy at a time of the cruel and morally corrupt Emperor Nero in Rome. Any of these can be challenging to faithful living from time to time.
We pray for people because God welcomes such prayer and that He“wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth’’ (1 Tim. 2:4). Our leaders and politicians are the ones who have great influence over our lives often creating the conditions that enable us to worship God in peace and tranquility. Sometimes it is tough to pray for people in positions of authority who may obstruct our faith or those people across our borders who we hardly know. We may not approve of what they are doing but we pray so that our paths may cross – in Jesus Christ. Pray for all of them as these people really need our prayers. Never assume that anyone is outside God’s mercy or beyond His reach in the offer of salvation. A prayer is an acknowledgement that our God exists. What better way than to pray according to God’s will – that “everyone be saved”.
