Pray for Leaders

There are leaders across the world at many different levels. We should be praying for all of them. Let’s take a quick look at leadership.

Civil Leaders
World leaders would include the obvious — those who govern the different countries of the world. We should be praying for our own president or whatever office governs your country.

We also have world leadership by way of the United Nations and the ambassadors to this world governing organization, who desperately need our prayers.

Local, city, state and county governing bodies need our prayers. What about the leadership of a homeowners association? Yes, they need our prayers. The leadership where we work need our prayers at all levels.

Anyone who has the authority to make decisions for us needs our prayers; otherwise, we are leaving their decisions in the hands of ego and possibly evil. This is obviously true — just look at our current world affairs. For almost every country, they are deplorable.

We need to pray that all of the leadership of the world at all levels make decisions that bring about world peace and the good for everyone on this Earth.

Additionally, we also need to pray for all those who vote for or appoint these world leaders and put them in an office of authority.  

Religious Leaders
Though many people think to pray for world leaders, many of us forget about our religious leaders. We forget they are humans with the same human failings and temptations with which we too deal. These men and women, whether pastor or volunteer Sunday School teacher, truly depend upon us to pray for them.

We should pray for the leadership of all religions, since their words and actions could affect other people, too. We should pray that all religious leaders speak out to their followers about what their religion truly believes, that they encourage their followers to read their sacred writings to truly know what their faith stands for, and pray their followers read and listen with eyes wide open and ears alert to every word.

Then, we should pray for all the people of the world, that they listen to their religious leaders, and pray that God is allowed to guide each and every individual to the religious leader that speaks truth, not lies or manipulation.

And if we have a conflict with any religious leader, whether a pastor or workshop leader, we need to forgive them and ourselves, ask the Lord to forgive our part in the conflict, pray for them, and ask the Lord to bless them.

I love a comment made to me by my very learned daughter on the subject of ministers who have been involved in scandalous behavior, “I always wonder why their flock wasn’t praying for them.” She’s correct. Our prayers give spiritual and moral support to our religious leadership. They are humans just like us; and they have two major temptations to deal with that we don't — (1) the condemnation of their own congregation, who believe they should tell the minister how to do this and that, criticizing the pastor opening to others; and (2) the evil tempter who is working especially hard to lead these devoted people astray. Our prayers are very needed for our own religious leadership.

Hebrews 13:17-18 says, “Obey your leaders and do as they tell you, because they must give an account of the way they look after your souls; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief — you yourselves would be the losers. … pray for us.”

Whether we like these civic and religious leaders doesn’t matter. We don’t need to know them or their names. God knows these things. We just need to pray for them.

by Patricia Hawke
Copyright 2008, Patricia Hawke

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