Weekly Devotion | November 7, 2024
Praying for Leadership
Do you pray for leaders? In our so-called polarized society these days we may find it hard to pray for leaders…especially if we didn’t vote for them.
I remember the re-election of George W. Bush. A feature of his campaign was emphasizing his middle initial “W”. “W” pins and bumper stickers were popular with his supporters. One particular sticker featured a large “W” and in smaller words below, the President—”W the president”. A few weeks after his election to a second term, I was in the church parking lot and saw a church member’s car with a similar bumper sticker. Instead of a “W” it had an “F”… I imagine they were not very prayerful about his second term.
Another election cycle passed and I was newly appointed to a different church. The outgoing pastor warned me about prayer time in worship. He told me that he used to invite lay people to pray, however it backfired on him. It was the Sunday after Barack Obama was elected in 2008. The church leader stood in the pulpit at the prayer time and began the pastoral prayer. The prayer quickly turned into a very angry prayer about the president-elect. Words like satanic, hopeless, and abomination were mentioned. There was no doubt about the political persuasion of that liturgist – several people left worship that day.
A presidential election sometimes goes our way and sometimes it doesn’t. I share these stories to remind us that anger doesn’t evangelize well. Whoever the president is, we are to pray for them. Sometimes that’s a hard prayer to pray.
The apostle Paul in his pastoral letter to Timothy says, “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.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Imagine the difficulty of praying for a Roman Emperor or someone like Pontius Pilate who was completely opposite of your political ideology. What kind of sincere, prayerful words would you use for the men who oppress you and throw your loved ones to the lions? It is a tough test of faith to really love your enemy and pray for them.
Today, I don’t think that political leaders are our enemies. They are human beings, just like us. I’m cynical during elections with the manipulative commercials and pushy social media. However, in the end I believe there are sincerely held beliefs that we disagree upon in society, but I try to be humble and understanding about where they are coming from. Surely, we can practice the virtue of civility and strive toward common ground. Naturally none of us are perfectly civil, but isn’t it what we aspire to be?
We are not supposed to pray only for those with whom we agree. We are to pray for all people—“for kings and all those in authority.” Yes, even those with whom we disagree. Not a prayer that condemns others but lifts them up toward wisdom, well-being, and the common good—no matter what political badge they wear.
As the slogan goes, we follow the lamb, not the donkey or elephant. Pray for our leaders.
Peace,
