Why We Pray - An In Depth Look (Part 2)

PRACTICE

How can churches actively practice praying for our leaders? We need to make it a part of our corporate worship as well as a part of our daily prayer lives. In Paul’s letter to Timothy (I Timothy 2:1) he urges us to pray for our leaders, “first of all”, implying that we are to make it a priority. Prayer for our leaders has been written in many of the rote prayers throughout church history. Our forefathers prayed for their leaders. It was a regular part of their worship. In contrast, many of the modern era churches do not encourage praying for our authorities. Yet it’s something that Paul asserts needs to be a priority. So make it a priority in your personal and corporate worship and prayer groups. Pray for those in authority, specifically those in civil government.

Another practical piece that is often overlooked is to let your authorities know that you’re praying for them. Send them a note, an email, a social media post, or call them and let them know you, your church, or your small group has been praying for them. You’ll be surprised at the impact this makes. Again, we’re talking about gospel-centered influence. As you pray for someone, God influences their heart. When you let them know you’re praying for them, you begin to have influence in their life because you’re communicating your care for them.

When you begin communicating with your leaders, the next practical step will come naturally: Ask them how you can pray for them. This question will prompt many different responses from political leaders. If it’s someone you don’t know well yet, they may give you a general prayer request. However, as you persist in prayer, persist in letting them know, and persist in asking how you can pray for them, trust and influence will begin to build. The old maxim suggests, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” So just continue to faithfully pray, regularly let them know you’re praying, and ask them how you can pray for them.

The last practical step is to simply follow-up. Pray, let them know, ask how you can pray for them, and then follow-up on those prayer requests. Has there been resolution on that request? How is God working? Or maybe the situation is still on-going and you let them know you’re still praying for that particular prayer request. These four practical ways are simple but vital in building gospel-centered influence in the lives of leaders.