“How should I pray for the government?” That’s a questions many Christians ask themselves. Sadly, when it comes to politics, generations of church people in America have said, “We’re just hoping this political party can fix this mess....” or “We’re just hoping and praying such and such a group can fix it.” Well, the politicians—whether Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, part of the Tea Party, Independent or some other affiliation—are not God. They’re only here to govern, and the government cannot create or change anything permanently.
Real change—whether in the political, economic or spiritual realm—only happens when the Church begins to pray and believe God. We’re the ones with real authority, and we’ve been given that authority by the Name of Jesus.
The problem is, we haven’t known what to do with it.
Pray for the Government by Giving Thanks
When it comes to praying for the government, we first need to remember 1 Timothy 2:1-2. In these scriptures, the Apostle Paul explained our responsibility as citizens of heaven and citizens of earth: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
Over the years, the Body of Christ has missed the thanksgiving part of Paul’s instructions in relation to the political process. When the candidates we want to win don’t win, we often quit praying and we definitely don’t give God thanks for the ones who got elected. Oh, we may pray for a handful of elected officials now and then. But how long is it from the time we stop praying until we turn around and start shredding them to pieces in our conversations?
Well, in God’s Book, that doesn’t work.
Pray for the Government Consistently
It doesn’t matter whether the person we vote for gets into office or not. What matters is our obedience to God’s WORD—to pray, make petition and intercession for all men and women, kings and leaders of high authority, and then give thanks to God for them. That doesn’t mean we have to fast and pray 40 days and 40 nights each election year. We can simply begin by spending 10 to 15 minutes each day praying for our authorities.
The point is, intercessions and thanksgiving should consistently be the main focus and effort of our petitions, because real spiritual power lies in consistency—praying in the spirit day after day, standing on the WORD, praising and worshiping God concerning our authorities.
Remember, Christians should know how to pray for the government, and it starts with thanksgiving and consistency. We are the ones with the real authority around here, and our countries are depending on us!