If I’m praying for something, why should I ask you to pray for it, too? Or ten others? Or hundreds of others?
When it comes to ministry to the political community, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 is a prayer commanded to all who are followers of Christ:
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
If you and I follow that call to pray, is our obedience complete? Is it at all important that we remind others to pray for the same thing? Is God likely to answer quicker or with more intensity if a larger number of people are praying for any given item? Why share prayer requests with a growing circle of people in the first place?
Anytime we have questions about the nature of prayer, there has to be a willingness to accept the fact that answers may not be as clear-cut as we like. The scriptures teach us some things about prayer, but in the end God is the only One who can possibly understand final outcomes. That said, are there any objective answers to these questions above?
Without pretending to know all of God’s mind on this, here are a five things I do know:
1) The command to pray for our leaders in 1 Timothy 2 is for all believers. God wants a large quantity of prayer on this particular request.
2) Faith is still the deciding factor in any prayer being heard and answered. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” Hebrews 11:6.
3) This request, as with all prayer, can be made in a wrong way. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” James 4:3.
4) There are verses that emphasize the power of many people praying for the same thing. “you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many” 2 Corinthians 1:11.
5) We still can’t discount the effectiveness of the faith-filled prayer poured out from a single pure heart. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” James 5:16.
What a priviledge to pray for those who lead us, and what a serious thing it is. What a responsibility they bear and what guidance they need from God. We should be encouraged that the Lord hears the prayer of faith from us individually, but we should not stop reminding one another to obey the call to lift our voices corporately for the same purposes. The wonder is that we are allowed to communicate with The Holy One at all.
We must stay expectant and faithful as we pray for leaders’ hearts, both individually and as a Church. How God chooses to answer is totally up to Him.
Rotunda Reflections 
October 23, 2009 at 6:22 am
Great to have you back!
October 23, 2009 at 7:04 am
Our Pastor has been talking about this very subject on Wednesday evenings. I believe God is trying to tell me something. Thanks, Brent, for your words of exhortation.
October 23, 2009 at 10:38 am
I am also thankful we have the Holy Spirit that “translates” for me when I am unsure of how to pray for something in particular.
October 23, 2009 at 11:27 am
I believe that the primary purpose of prayer is not for us to tell God what we want, but for Him to tell us what HE wants. 1 John 5:14-15 says that when we ask according to His will, we receive; when we don’t, He doesn’t even hear us. The Omniscient God doesn’t need us to keep Him informed of what’s going on or what we need, nor does He need us to tell Him what or how to do anything. If God is truly sovereign (and He is), then nothing we say or do is going to determine or alter His plan. God is not going to fail to provide for anybody, forget to save anybody, or neglect to bless anybody if we don’t pray — “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
So the benefit that God gets out of prayer is that it keeps us in tune with His program. By asking and paying attention to how He answers, we learn what is really important to Him, and we end up aligning our thoughts and desires with His. When we consistently pray for others, whether that be the spouse or child we love, or the politician or obnoxious neighbor we despise, we cannot help but begin to view them the way God does: as sinful human beings who need Him to save them and mature them even though they don’t deserve it.
At the end of the process I discover that the true measure of prayer’s effectiveness is not in how much it changed others, but in how much it changed me. And when others are praying with me, then we collectively are shaped to be of one mind, one faith, and one spirit — in short, we fulfill God’s stated objective: that “all men . . . come to the knowledge of the truth.” (Funny how we never consider ourselves to be part of “all men”, isn’t it?)
October 23, 2009 at 11:37 am
Well said, Sam. Thanks.