"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 2:1-4
This struck me today because I was trying to imagine praying for all of the individuals that I encounter on a daily basis. Not really collectively, since that seems (at least in my mind) to be a cop out... but supplication and thankfulness for the individuals specifically. I like the different parts or methods of prayer listed... supplication, prayer, intercession, giving of thanks. Basically asking for things, talking with God about things in general, asking for God to assist with a certain situation, and thanking God for all that he does for us. Specifics that it is sometimes hard to get when applying to everyone.
I think it would require some serious attention in our lives to focus on and learn about other people, in order to pray for them these meaningful ways. God's request goes beyond what I was thinking about, since he would like us to pray for all men... even the ones that we don't encounter. Perhaps that necessitates some collectivity, since our knowledge is very limited about people that we don't encounter. I imagine though that the more detailed and specific we are about what we are praying for, as with most other prayers, the more efficacious the prayer. I like this idea because I think, if we really started doing this... praying specifically about all the people around us... that it would radically change our perspectives and the way we think about other people.
These verses specifically point out rulers and authority figures. Sometimes authority figures are the very last people that I want to give thanks for. However, this is something that I have tried. Praying for leaders, no matter what I thought of them... and I don't know always if it helps them. I hope so. But I do know that it helps me look at situations differently. It helps me to remember that we all need help and support, and that we all fall short of people's expectations. It helps me to remember that I am just as weak and in need of prayer as anyone else, and that sometimes we (including leaders) need to be supported as we do our best, rather than being replaced with another flawed mortal. :)
Today, let's pray for people. Especially the people that we are having a hard time having compassion for. I think that God asking us to do this is partly for the people we are praying for... who really do need our help and our support, but it is also for us. As we learn to be members of a Zion society, we can't afford to criticize and hate. We can't afford to fault-find or tear down. To achieve Zion, where we love everyone, we have to grow our souls a little bit and learn to support and help and teach and give... doing everything we can for the people around us. Even the ones we now think are slimy or corrupt or rude or distasteful. :) Let's pray for others, and thereby replace some of our hatred with love... some of our negative attitude towards our fellow beings with positive. As with most things, it won't happen overnight... but let's start that chain reaction in our souls, so that someday we can stand, transformed into people who truly love as Christ does.
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
1 Timothy 2:1-4
This struck me today because I was trying to imagine praying for all of the individuals that I encounter on a daily basis. Not really collectively, since that seems (at least in my mind) to be a cop out... but supplication and thankfulness for the individuals specifically. I like the different parts or methods of prayer listed... supplication, prayer, intercession, giving of thanks. Basically asking for things, talking with God about things in general, asking for God to assist with a certain situation, and thanking God for all that he does for us. Specifics that it is sometimes hard to get when applying to everyone.
I think it would require some serious attention in our lives to focus on and learn about other people, in order to pray for them these meaningful ways. God's request goes beyond what I was thinking about, since he would like us to pray for all men... even the ones that we don't encounter. Perhaps that necessitates some collectivity, since our knowledge is very limited about people that we don't encounter. I imagine though that the more detailed and specific we are about what we are praying for, as with most other prayers, the more efficacious the prayer. I like this idea because I think, if we really started doing this... praying specifically about all the people around us... that it would radically change our perspectives and the way we think about other people.
These verses specifically point out rulers and authority figures. Sometimes authority figures are the very last people that I want to give thanks for. However, this is something that I have tried. Praying for leaders, no matter what I thought of them... and I don't know always if it helps them. I hope so. But I do know that it helps me look at situations differently. It helps me to remember that we all need help and support, and that we all fall short of people's expectations. It helps me to remember that I am just as weak and in need of prayer as anyone else, and that sometimes we (including leaders) need to be supported as we do our best, rather than being replaced with another flawed mortal. :)
Today, let's pray for people. Especially the people that we are having a hard time having compassion for. I think that God asking us to do this is partly for the people we are praying for... who really do need our help and our support, but it is also for us. As we learn to be members of a Zion society, we can't afford to criticize and hate. We can't afford to fault-find or tear down. To achieve Zion, where we love everyone, we have to grow our souls a little bit and learn to support and help and teach and give... doing everything we can for the people around us. Even the ones we now think are slimy or corrupt or rude or distasteful. :) Let's pray for others, and thereby replace some of our hatred with love... some of our negative attitude towards our fellow beings with positive. As with most things, it won't happen overnight... but let's start that chain reaction in our souls, so that someday we can stand, transformed into people who truly love as Christ does.
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