1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT)
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. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
When we pray the way God says to pray, the results can amaze us!
Jonas, a member of the Ambassadors for Christ International team in Ghana, went to a village in the north and asked the local chief if he could start a church there. The people in the village were in favour of a church, but the chief imam said "No, not while I am chief!"
Local leaders told Jonas that he could go over the chief's head and ask the district imam for permission. Jonas replied, "No, I don't want a political solution." He began to pray, "Lord, will You have mercy on this man. The only solution I see is for him to lose his life and I don't want that. Have mercy on him and change his mind."
Three months later, a young man from the village came and told Jonas, "The imam is asking for you." When Jonas visited the village, the imam told him he could start a church. He explained his change of heart by saying that the chief imam had told him that in an area where there is no church, there is no blessing.
What might our communities and cities be like if all believers took this command from the Apostle Paul seriously? Complaining about our leaders and the sad state of affairs in our country is easy; dedicating ourselves to interceding for them takes time and effort without immediate reward. It requires believers to come together with one mind and one heart and seriously seek the salvation of those who embrace choices that are popular culturally but bring death according to God's Word. What might it take for you to make this command one of your priorities?
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