THE GENERAL PRAYER – PART V
Grant
health and prosperity to all who are in authority, especially to the President
and Congress of the United States, the Governor and Legislature of this
commonwealth, and to all our Judges and Magistrates, and endue them with grace
to rule after Thy good pleasure, to the maintenance of righteousness and to the
hindrance and punishment of wickedness, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and honesty.
It is not always easy to pray for those who
govern us. Humanity is unruly and rebellious by nature. Sin entered the world
through the temptation to “be like God.”(Genesis 3:5) Adam and Eve, at the
Tempter’s prodding, not content to be ruled and governed by the Lord and
instead chose to be ruled by Satan, though they were promised self-rule. This
spiritual rebelliousness translates easily into the temporal side of life. No
matter who is governing us, no matter what kind of governmental system we have,
it will always be difficult to be governed.
This petition of the General Prayer keeps us
honest with the Scriptures, which command us to pray for our governing
officials, regardless of our opinion of them and their policies. The General
Prayer echoes the words of St. Paul to Bishop Timothy, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of
thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2) We speak
these words to God is prayer because the Apostle commands us to pray for our
officials and
because our sinful flesh does not want to pray for the governing officials.
The reason for this command lies in the second part of St. Paul’s words, “that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” We do not
pray for the government because of party spirit or blind Statism. We are not to
look to the government to meet our every need in this life or offer us
protection from every kind of evil. That is not the government’s divinely
established duty. St. Paul explains the duty of the civil government in Romans
13:1-5:
Let every
soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except
from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who
resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is
good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you
for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in
vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because
of wrath but also for conscience' sake.
St. Paul establishes that all authority is from God
and so all in authority are appointed by God. They are given authority to be a
terror to those who do evil works, that is, to “execute wrath on him who
practices evil.” The governing authorities should be doing what we pray for in
this petition of the General Prayer, that is, ruling “after Thy good pleasure, to the maintenance of righteousness
and to the hindrance and punishment of wickedness.”
But what is the Christian to do when their
governing officials fail at their divinely given task? We are not to satisfy
our rebellious desire, for to rebel against the government would be to rebel
against the authority of the Lord who established
that government. We are to continue steadfast and unrelenting in our prayers
for our government because the burden of their office (and the temptations that
attend their office) are great. The apocryphal book Wisdom of Solomon (6:2-10) says:
Give ear, ye
that rule the people, and glory in the
multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from
the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels. Because,
being ministers of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law,
nor walked after the counsel of God; Horribly and speedily shall he come upon
you: for a sharp judgment shall be to them that be in high places. For mercy
will soon pardon the meanest: but mighty men shall be mightily tormented. For
he which is Lord over all shall fear no man's person, neither shall he stand in
awe of any man's greatness: for he hath made the small and great, and careth
for all alike. But a sore trial shall come upon the mighty. Unto you therefore,
O kings, do I speak, that ye may learn wisdom, and not fall away. For they that keep holiness holily shall be
judged holy: and they that have learned such things shall find what to answer.
Rulers are to seek after holiness and wisdom. God will judge rulers for the
misuse of their office so we pray that our rulers will give ear to holiness and
wisdom for their own sake and also for the sake of those whom they govern. So
we pray according to St. Paul in the General Prayer, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and honesty.” The goal of all government should be the preservation of the
peace so that men might live quiet lives, fulfilling their divinely given
vocations in service to their neighbors and family.
Is it ever right to rebel against the government
then? Scripture only mentions one instance of disobedience to government. That
is when the government demands something of us that violates the will of God
found in Holy Scripture. Acts 5:27-29 records:
The high
priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in
this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend
to bring this Man's blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather
than men.”
The apostles were forbidden by the ruling authorities to preach in Jesus’
name. In that instance, obedience to the governing body would have meant
rebellion against the Lord’s command and the Christian Faith. This is the only
example in the Scripture of Christians rebelling against the authorities
because they taught that to rebel against authority is to rebel against THE
authority from which all authority on earth is derived: the Lord Himself. Jesus
reminds Pilate of this during His trial, “You could have no power at all
against me unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:11) The Christian lives prayerfully and patiently under
governmental authority so that they “may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior
in all things” (Titus 2:10) and
give no one an opportunity to slander the Gospel as inciting rebellion.
So we pray for our government and our officials whether we like them or
not. But we pray that they rule not for their own benefit, but after the good
pleasure of God and according to His wisdom for the benefit of all their
subjects whom the Lord has given to them, so that we might lead quiet lives in
godliness and honesty. Ad Finem Illum, Amen!
