Prayer for Our Leaders

Today I was reviewing some Scriptures pertaining to salvation because I am preparing a class for the kids at my church in which they will learn about faith in God, salvation, baptism, and get answers to their questions about faith and God. One of the passages I came across was 1 Timothy 2:1-6. It reads as follows:

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time." (TNIV)

I've been told before by others that we should pray for our leaders, especially the President and Congress. In response, I usually say a quick prayer for them and move on with my day. Today, when I came across these verses in First Timothy, I realized that I should pray regularly for the leaders of our country, rather than making it a one-time or once in a while thing. What is the benefit of praying for our leaders? Paul (the writer of First Timothy) tells us that it is for the purpose of living peaceful lives as well as being a witness for Christ. God wants ALL to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. I know that we all do not have the privilege of rubbing elbows with our nation's leaders everyday; however, prayer is one of the most powerful, effective tools we have for bringing about change in the situations that are out of our control. God is a very good listener!

My challenge to you and myself is to pray for our nation's leaders at least once a week. If they are Christians in leadership positions, we should pray that God will strengthen them in their faith and protect them from personal corruption. If they are not Christians, we should pray that God would work on their hearts and help them "come to a knowledge of the truth" as Paul states in verse four. Our nation does have a lot of issues, but if we pray for the ones who are in power, we have the opportunity to watch God work in great and mysterious ways against these various issues. Please join me in my challenge to pray for our leaders.