Dear beloved: The apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, v2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. v3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, v4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. So Paul links praying for our leaders,and in the case of America, our elected leaders, to the ultimate outcome of leading lives of tranquility and peace in godliness and dignity, and even beyond that to have the opportunity to reach out to others with the saving knowledge of the gospel. The importance of who we elect and how much we pray for our leaders has profound effect on every single person in the country; because of their position of authority, their actions are magnified either for positive or negative as they ripple across the landscape.
King David was the warrior king, the man after God's own heart, the shepherd boy who became king and led Israel for 40 years. But a story recorded in 2 Samuel 24 tells of a serious blunder King David made that many of his subjects had to pay for with their lives. 2 Sam 24:1 Now again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah." Even though David received wise counsel from Joab, the commander of the army, not to number the people, David insisted and prevailed, so in defiance of God's command, the people of Israel were numbered. God had given David the command not to number the people because He wanted David to depend on Him and not the strength of his own army and might. God had shown countless times, from Moses delivering His people from Egypt, to Gideon defeating the myriads of Midianites, to King Jehoshaphat defeating the enemies of Judah through praise and worship, that the number of the people and size of the army was not the determining factor in who wins the battle. The Lord said if you depend on Me, you have all you need!
Then David realized his sin. Verse 10, David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly." God was then merciful to David and actually gave him the choice of his punishment or consequences, and David chose to allow three day pestilence in the land. v15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. v17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, "Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep,. what have they done? Please let Thy hand be against me and against my father's house." Beloved, the effect of fools and corrupt people in places of authority has dramatic impact on the people of the land, and can even cause the sheep their premature death. Pray for our leaders, that the Holy Spirit would arrest them and they would come to a knowledge of the truth, and repent of their wicked and foolish ways. May God bless you as you pray, in Christ, Jim www.gathertheoutcasts.com
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