If you wonder whether God can direct the hearts of political leaders in our county and the world, and thus if prayer for them isn’t a waste of time, look no further than the book of Ezra . . . and I Timothy 2:1-2. Ezra 1:1 says that “in order to fulfill the Word of the Lord,” He “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the King of Persia” to allow Jews to return to Jerusalem after Babylonian captivity and rebuild the house of the Lord. Verse 5 also says that God had stirred the hearts of people to go and do precisely this. Ezra 6:8 says King Darius later added that the cost of building the house of God in Jerusalem would be paid in full by the taxes the Persian government received! Darius even said animals and crops should be provided for sacrifices (v. 9). He wanted God’s people to pray for him (v. 10). God certainly worked in the hearts of these leaders and these people.
I Timothy 2:1-2 says we’re to pray, with “entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, . . . for kings and all who are in authority . . . “
May this be our habit and our hope.
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