I Tim. 2:1-2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.
No one is beyond the reach of need for prayer. We should never buy into the notion that some people are too far gone to pray for. The Lord can change anyone, no matter how bad they may appear to be. No one will be saved apart from the work of Christ and Christ works in response to our prayers.
When you do pray for others, pray for God's mercy. No one deserves to be spared God's wrath, but all who are in Christ are spared. Pray that others will share the mercy of God with you. Pray that they will respond to God's mercy and seek Him.
Give thanks to the Lord when you are praying. Thank Him for all that He has done for you and thank Him for His love for those whom you are praying. Thank Him in advance for what He is going to do in their lives. Thank Him for the privilege of being chosen to pray for them.
When you pray, remember those who are in authority over you. The more authority a person has, the more need He has for prayer. Pray for both your civic and spiritual leaders. Anyone can misuse his power and authority. Anyone can abuse their authority and take advantage of others whom they have power over. Pray that the Lord will keep them in line so they will not let their sinful natures lead them into a misuse of their power and authority. Pray that they will understand that they are accountable to God for how they exercise their power and authority.
Prayer works and when we pray for others, we are much more likely to live in peace and quietness. Our failure to pray opens the door up to all kinds of evil and we have no one to blame but ourselves when it happens. We can do something about the world around us; we can pray.
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