"Prayer for the Authorities"

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" ~ Jeremiah 29:7

These are some of the most shocking words God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah. His people had been brutally oppressed - some killed and many taken captive - by the Babylonians and they were suffering. They were waiting and hoping and probably praying for God to get them out of there, but God says the complete opposite, telling them to pray for the city. In other words, they needed to stop wishing for things to be undone and accept what God did, trust in His bigger plan, and understand that their own blessing was attached to the blessing of the pagan city to which they were taken. This tells us something about God: even when it seems that the wicked are prospering and power belongs to the ruthless, He is still in control. Therefore, we must also pray for our city, state, and nation, as well as those who govern us, because God put them in those positions for a season and a reason. What we think of their performance or our personal feelings about them are irrelevant when it comes to accepting God's plan. This week at Friendship, we'll talk about "Prayer for the Authorities" as yet another action that must come through the faith and love of God's people. It's time to turn off Fox and CNN and turn your ears to God's Word on this subject.