Welcome to our three part “Christianity and Government” Series.
We started the Series by talking about Godly respect for and willing submission to those in the government. You can find that here:
http://www.scottduck.com/respect-for-government-christianity-and-government-series-part-1-of-3/
Now, let’s continue by talking about praying for those in the government.
I’m going to talk here specifically about praying for the president but the same principles apply to praying for others in government. You may not have voted for President Biden. That’s OK, I didn’t either. However, we must remember that no matter who is in the White House, God is in control of everything, including the man in the White House.
Proverbs 21
1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
1 Timothy 2
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
President Biden’s heart is in God’s hand. We should pray for President Biden, for God to help him and guide him. Are you doing that? If not, you really should, as God’s Word clearly instructs us to. If you are praying for him, in what spirit are you doing it? Are you doing it out of a sense of obligation or are you doing it in a spirit of anticipation, truly expecting God to answer? I have seen many posts on social media, talking about the state of things at the end of President Trump’s time in the Oval Office, saying that they want to be able to look back on these posts later, to see how things have progressed under President Biden. As I read these posts, I get the sense that these people are making the assumption that things will be much worse in 2024 or 2028 than they are now and that they want to be able to point back to these current posts and say “I told you so”. I get the impression that these people want President Biden to fail. I don’t know if they are praying for him or not but, if they are, they clearly aren’t expecting God to answer. If you expect Him not to answer, you will get what you expect.
James 1:7
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
Though not the only component, asking in faith is one very important component to answered prayer. This is a theme seen over and over throughout Scripture. If you are praying for President Biden just out of a sense of obligation and with no spirit of anticipation, just so that you can say that you prayed, then you need not bother. I voted for President Trump but he is no longer our president. Let’s stop looking back with longing at the presidency of President Trump and start looking forward with anticipation at the presidency of President Biden. Let’s have confidence in God’s ability to work in the life of our nation, even now, and let us pray in anticipation of God hearing and answering our prayers, even when we don’t immediately see and understand how He is working.
Don’t get me wrong. I do not believe that we are going to pray ourselves into some sort of President Biden headed utopia. In fact, I believe that President Biden is probably unknowingly helping to move the world along toward the eventual rain of the antichrist. Things may or may not turn out well for our country, from a worldly prospective, under his presidency. However, we must remember that this world is not our home and, even under President Biden, no matter what happens with COVID and the economy and other worldly things, God can bring about revival. That is what we should be most concerned about and what we should be praying for, as we pray for him. Could God use his presidency to help to bring about revival? Absolutely. How? I have no idea, but I know He can. As Christians, we have a promise from God that He will work out everything for our good (Romans 8:28). Believing that promise, when everything is going well and you can understand how things will work out, requires only intellect. Believing that things will work out, when you have no idea how they could possibly work out, requires faith. Are you praying in faith?
