First of all...pray * 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, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:1-4 Angry…Fearful…Divided…Discouraged…Anxious This is how a lot of people are feeling about our country and the world today. And there is plenty of evidence out there to support each of the feelings listed above. For some the only response is to throw up their hands and give up. “After all, what can I do?”…and they begin to list all the reasons why things are never going to change. For others, the response is to roll up their sleeves and get out there to try to make a change. “If we get enough signatures…votes…media attention…” and they list all the ways they are going to make it a better world. “First of all” But Paul, writing to Timothy, suggests a different place to start. Prayer. Don’t get too hung up on the different forms of prayer that he suggests. Pray! “For all people” Treat everyone you meet as someone who is in need of prayer (we all are). Sometimes the need is clear and easy to see. Sometimes the prayer might simply be “Lord bless this person.” And no…you don’t have to pray out load in the aisle of the grocery store. “For kings and all who are in high positions” Paul also tells us to pray for our leaders (not just the ones we like or support). They too are people made in the image of God who are in need of prayer. The apostle gives us several reasons for our prayers (in case we need a reason to pray). The first is that “this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” God is pleased when we pray for others and the implication is that it is good for our wellbeing when we pray. My grandmother often said that the best relief she had from her arthritis came from praying for others. Another reason for praying is “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Jeremiah told God’s people in exile to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7) And finally, God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Who knows how many people have prayed for our salvation. In 1971, my family was kicked out of Guatemala. We found out a few years later that a group of people in Houston had been praying for us during that ordeal…not just for our safety…but our salvation! So, in these anxious and trying days, before you roll up your sleeves or throw up your hands…do the first things first: PRAY! Blessings, Matthew+ Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. *Reprinted from September 22, 2020 | 
