I Timothy 2:1-2 – I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Wherever we live in the world, governments impact our lives. Some of us are blessed with relative stability. For others it’s a constant issue and threat. I lived for over 20 years in a country where my work of training churches was illegal. My whole life was orientated around the fact that I had to hide what I was doing from the authorities. My staff used to share stories of new Christians’ houses being burned and of they themselves being arrested for training churches. The government’s impact on our lives was felt strongly.

Now I travel a lot. So I see the impact of many different governments. Today, for instance, I am in the midst of canceling a training in Zimbabwe due to mass instability brought on by protests against the government. The decision of whether to go forward with the training or cancel it was made even more complicated by how hard it has been to communicate with anyone in Zimbabwe or get reliable information—the government keeps turning off the internet. Banks, schools, and other offices have been closed, opened and (I think) closed again. Food is scarce and prices of everything have skyrocketed.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing isn’t rare. In December and January, our four staff and 6000 partner churches in Democratic Republic of Congo all vanished offline for weeks. The government shut down the internet during and after the election because there was immense concern about violence around the election and more violence with the change of leaders. Thankfully it turned out okay, but it kept us praying in the meantime.

In Asia things are a bit different. Rioting, violence, and protests are rare. Stability—and, with it, the opportunity to flourish—is more normal. Instead, governments’ impact is often felt in terms of freedom of religion. Two countries of great concern to us right now are India and Nepal. Both have seen Christian activity increasingly restricted. In India it’s becoming progressively more difficult to run a non-profit organization, and many foreigners are losing visas. We are definitely amongst those impacted. The Nepalese government recently passed an anti-conversion law. The whole Church is reeling as they try to work out how to you share the gospel in a country where it’s now illegal to convert.

I could keep going. There are troubled governments, political divides, and civil unrest in the Americas and Europe, as well. But you get the point. Governments and their decisions can bring about the flourishing or destruction of nations. Zambia and Zimbabwe sit next to each other; they have similar landscapes, agricultural potential, and colonial history. But while Zimbabwe struggles as one of the poorest countries in the world, Zambia flourishes as one of the most developed countries in Africa. The difference is the government each has had over the last 30 years.

We are told to pray for leaders—our leaders and other leaders around the world. Please join us in praying this month for government leaders:

  • For God’s will to be done—that He would establish authorities according to His plans and purposes.
  • For the hearts of leaders to be turned to God, that they would seek His wisdom to lead. Pray for leaders with servant hearts and a vision for the good of all in their nation. Pray for governments to lead with godly principles and according to His ways, even if they haven’t recognized Him as Lord.
  • Pray that godly people would sense and respond to God’s calling to stand as candidates for leadership positions. Pray for churches to support, rather than discourage, Christians running for office.
  • Pray for freedom to openly discuss opposing views. Pray for people to be able to express their opinions without resorting to (or experiencing) violence.
  • For calm in every nation. That elections would not result in violence. That government would not respond with violence to protests or dissenters.
  • Pray for Christians to know how to respond to their neighbors and governments leading up to  and in the wake of elections.

Here are some related blog posts you might be interested in:

Loving Our Enemies (including those in government)

Praying Against Corruption