The Bible calls on Christians to pray for their leaders. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2a, Paul says: “Therefore I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority.”  In this second article on the topic of praying for our leaders, we are looking at prayer for lawmakers in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

Key Observation: Our lawmakers desperately need our prayers to lead well. In Jeremiah 29:7, the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the elders, priests, prophets, and people who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” God could have simply blessed the leaders, without requiring the people to pray. But this isn’t what He chose to do. He asked His people to become involved through prayer, even though it likely wouldn’t have been comfortable to pray for their captors. In our setting we are not praying for our captors, but we are called to pray for our leaders so that we can be blessed with peace and prosperity.

How can we pray for our lawmakers? The list below is a starting point.

1. Wisdom: Pray that God fills our lawmakers with His wisdom. Above all, leaders need wisdom!

2. Support from their families: To do their job effectively, lawmakers need the support of their families. Pray that they do not ignore their fundamental role of being a spouse and father/mother first. They cannot be effective if that role is abused.

3. Integrity: Pray that God give lawmakers integrity and honesty with their constituents, as well as the other elected members with which they serve. Pray they resist corruption and bribery.

4. Humility: Pray that God give lawmakers a humble spirit, to avoid arrogance and pride, and to serve their constituents with a mindset of servant leadership.

5. Unity and Collaboration: Pray that God give lawmakers the ability to work together with each other and the President for the good of the nation.

6. Health and Protection: Pray that God grant lawmakers good health and well-being, and that He protect them from those who would do them harm.

7. Guidance: Pray that God guides our lawmakers by His Spirit and that they have the desire to spend time in God’s Word and with God’s people. For those lawmakers that are not Christians, pray that they may come to know Christ as their Savior.

8. Fair Decision-making: Pray that lawmakers look to God to make fair and righteous decisions.

Questions: Do you desire to live in peace and prosperity? When was the last time YOU or YOUR CHURCH spent time praying for your lawmakers?

Pr. Ray Ballmann
Glen Rose, Texas