& it's time to Pray for our leaders.
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.
For this reason I was appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything. Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension. 1 Timothy 2: 1-7
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul here urges Timothy – and the church he led – to pray for their leaders; and he urges Christians everywhere and in every subsequent age who received these scriptures to do the same.
Interestingly, according to historians this letter was written under the reign of the Emperor Nero, who was an extremely wicked ruler who is known for persecuting the Christians mercilessly. After the great fire of Rome on July 18, 64AD, that Nero himself purportedly lit, Nero crucified Christians, covered them with pitch and set them on fire, to deflect the criticism he deserved.
The first century Roman historian Tacitus wrote about these events:
Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the fire. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations. The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again, not only through Judea, which was the origin of this evil, but also through the city of Rome, to which all that is horrible and shameful floods together and is celebrated. Therefore, first those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much for the crime of burning the city, but for hatred of the human race. And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aflame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps. Nero gave his own gardens for this spectacle and performed a Circus game, in the habit of a charioteer mixing with the plebs or driving about the race-course. Even though they were clearly guilty and merited being made the most recent example of the consequences of crime, people began to pity these sufferers, because they were consumed not for the public good but on account of the fierceness of one man. Tacitus Annals 15.44 transl. Richard Hooker
What is quite astonishing when considering the actual historical context of Paul’s letter to Timothy is that apparently God even wanted a wicked man like Nero to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Our leaders in the Western World, Trudeau, Biden, in Australia Michael Gunner, Mark McGowan, Dan Andrews, etc etc, even if their crimes are less visible, in their own way have committed wickedness after the manner of Nero, for they have forced the majority of the population to take a harmful experimental medication, and all the evidence now indicates the Covid vaccines have killed many, many people and maimed many, many more. Nonetheless, even if they claim the excuse that they were trying to save people from Covid, they ought to have had the wisdom to doubt themselves a little more. Pride, after all, causes men to be blind to the truth.
And although this harm has not been as visible or as dramatic as crucifying Christians and lighting them up as torches, it does not make their actions any less foolish on that account, or any less wicked, if they were intentional.
Like Nero, the scripture says God wants these leaders to be saved and to come to the truth.
And I think it is no coincidence that God caused Paul’s letter to Timothy to be written under Nero, for I believe that it would be hard find any other ruler in history as wicked as Nero. God wanted even him to be saved.
This is a great comfort for many of us who are great sinners as well; it ought to comfort us greatly that God also forgives our sins; for even for those who say to themselves, “Well, I never killed anyone. I have never committed adultery,” they must know that God does not look on the outward appearance but on the heart, and hatred that lives in the heart and gossip in God’s sight is as wicked as actually murdering someone, and lust that is cherished in the heart is as wicked as adultery, and pride is surely the most wicked sin of all, as C.S. Lewis said, “Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”
Who among us has not had evil thoughts living in his or her heart?
If God desired even a Nero to be saved, then he also wants us to be saved.
None of us can take a seat above any other person at God’s feast, for Jesus tells each of us rather to take the lowest seat, and in God’s kingdom where every worldly pretension is turned upside down, and the first will be the last and the last first, praise the Lord that those who humble themselves and become like little children will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven1.
What a relief, then, that there is nothing we must achieve to earn God’s free favour. We do not have to be great Christians or great saints, for Him to love us, but only little children!
Amen and Alleluia! Praise Jesus!
May He give each one of us the grace to turn Him with the faith and trust of a little child.
Even the wicked leaders.
May God forgive their sins.
Let us all forsake our pride, therefore, and follow Paul’s injunction, to pray for our leaders with a childlike faith.
We pray that our leaders might be given grace to come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and be saved, and that they can come to a knowledge of the truth. Including the truth about the mRNA and spike vaccines and the harm that has been caused with mandates and coercion. Please Lord, let them repent, lest they continue in their stubborn, sinful path and dig deeper holes for themselves with their dishonesty and evasions.
We pray that God gives our leaders wisdom to turn their lives around, and to lead well, with the good of all the citizens of their countries and states and districts in mind, without neglecting any, so that they might earn God’s favour and his commendation; dear Lord, please forgive their sins and let them turn to You in wholehearted, humble repentance. We also pray for ourselves, that we might turn to You in turn to You in wholehearted, humble repentance and receive your forgiveness.
We pray especially that our Father in heaven will heal the vaccine injured people, both those in our churches and also in the wider community, through the intercession of believing Christians, in a way that gives great glory to Christ. Dear heavenly Father we believe that in your compassion you wish everyone to be healed of these dreadful side-effects in a way that gives glory to Jesus Christ. We pray this most earnestly, in order that God might be glorified in Christ Jesus.
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.” Matthew 18:2-5