Kevin Steyer
Paul writes, in response to the problem of false teachers stirring up trouble at Ephesus: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3). It is really striking that Paul begins with that, because it probably isn’t what we would first think to do if false teachers arose in our church. We would hopefully pray for our elders, but we might not think to pray for our “kings.” And it makes me think that if we ought to pray for our “kings” when an issue surfaces within the Church, we certainly ought to pray for them when an issue surfaces outside the Church (e.g. coronavirus), where they actually have some say in what happens. And the purpose of the prayers is also interesting: “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way,” which Paul then pronounces as “good” and “pleasing in the sight of God.” God desires that His people live peaceful and quiet lives. Paul does not simply say, “That the issue might be resolved.” Obviously that is included, but Paul looks beyond the resolution to a state of post-problem peace. (As a brief aside, may I suggest that if our phones are on loud and buzzing all the time, or if the TV is always on, we almost certainly aren’t living “quiet lives”?)
When it comes to actually praying for our “kings” I often find my vocabulary quite limited. I pray that our leaders might have wisdom, that they might rule not in self-interest but in the public interest, and that they might look after the particularly vulnerable members of society. But I need more ideas, as it were. How should I actually pray for our President Trump or Governor Wolf or Jerome Powell? Psalm 72 offers a model.
As a prayer for the king of Israel, we can learn many things about prayer from Psalm 72. First, a little clarification: the superscript should read “To/For Solomon” (KJV) not “Of Solomon” (ESV). The Psalm is a prayer for King Solomon, not by King Solomon. What does the psalmist pray for King Solomon? More things than we can look at here, but I want to emphasize two of them: that he might defend the poor, and that there might be blessing on the land and people. Verse 4 reads: “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” If we think about our world today, we see many people struggling to make ends meet, while some of the rich get richer through insider trading or price-gouging. I think especially of the children of the needy during this time. How can we help them? At the very least all of us can pray that our leaders “defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” And if you are on the front lines, serving the needy very practically, I thank God for you.
And verse 16 gives us another thing we can pray for, beautifully saying, “May there be an abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field!” The imagery here is simply delightful (at least for those of us who perhaps not-so-secretly wish we still lived in an agrarian society). Grain in abundance, waving on the tops of the mountains! Fruit adorning the valleys and people blossoming, in the cities, yes, but like the well-watered grass of the field! Several times per week I get an email from Environmental Action and I learn all manner of disastrous news. Just today, I learned that between 1990 and 2015, the numbers of monarch butterflies declined by over a billion. And time would fail me to tell of the collapse in bee colonies because of pesticide use, of toxins in our water supply because of irresponsible chemical plants, of rampant deforestation because of strip mining and industrial agriculture. None of this contributes to leading “a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Let us pray for our leaders that the way they govern will cause the abundant grain on the tops of the mountains to wave in the gentle breeze, and that in a similar way the people too blossom like the grass of the field.
I mentioned in my previous post that I am an optimist. While that is true, I know that this world will never be perfect. Psalm 72, more than a prayer for an earthly ruler, is ultimately realized only in Christ. Solomon could not bring peace and prosperity and health to the whole world. Although at his peak it was said that every Israelite sat “under his vine and under his fig tree,” (1 Kings 4:25) that did not last very long because Solomon turned away from the Lord and served other gods. But Jesus never turned away from the will of God. Psalm 72 also teaches us to pray, “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” (72:8-11). Solomon did not realize this. But Jesus did, and “He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). It is for this reason that our Lord taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.” We do not ultimately need Solomon’s kingdom. We need God’s Kingdom. In that Kingdom, “night will be no more” (Revelation 22:5).
Brothers and sisters, let us pray for our leaders the words of Psalm 72, but let us pray even more fervently, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come.” Or, more briefly and emphatically still, “Our Lord, come!”