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Pray this way for kings and all others
who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in
godliness and dignity. (I
Timothy 2:2 NLT).
Well, the dust has settled from Election
2004 and now it is time for the nation to unite and move forward. Both
President Bush and Senator Kerry were correct in their final speeches of
the campaign last week when they encouraged everyone to begin the process
of unification toward the common good. I believe that the first step
toward that is to pray for our leaders. Here are some suggestions that
apply to all “who are in authority”:
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Pray that those in
authority will reflect the love and character of God in their public and
private lives.
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Pray that those in
authority will hear a rightly divided Word of God from the proclamation
of their church and from their personal devotional time.
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Pray that those in
authority will be delivered from evil.
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Pray that those in
authority will be clothed in the armor of God and surrounded by holy
angels.
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Pray that those in
authority will be restrained from self-centeredness, narcissism, pride,
and hypocrisy.
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Pray that the hand
of God will be on those in authority in the conduct of foreign policy.
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Pray that God will
give those in authority supernatural wisdom and discernment.
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Pray that God will
minister peace and direction to them as they sleep.
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Pray that those in
authority will be protected from unwise and ungodly counsel.
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Pray that those in
authority may experience unexpected moments of mercy and grace.
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Pray that the fruits
of the Holy Spirit may be manifest in those in authority's lives.
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Pray that those in
authority may have sufficient time for prayer, Bible study, worship, and
Christian fellowship.
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Pray that those in
authority may truly repent of any sin in their life.
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Pray that God will
lead those in authority to a support groups that will hold them
accountable for any areas of brokenness which are out of control and
unmanageable.
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Pray that those in
authority will live in a wonderful sense of God's presence.
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Pray that faith will
rise up in them, that they will come to believe that nothing is
impossible for God.
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Pray that God will
use those in authority to keep America safe and free from terrorism.
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Pray that those in
authority may be trustworthy and honest in all his words and deeds.
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Pray that those in
authority may remain physically healthy.
I
am sure you can add others. These are mere suggestions. We do have an
obligation to pray for them. Make it your personal commitment to do so
every day in these perilous times. I believe if we do so, then the closing
remarks of so many speeches will come to pass – God Bless America!
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