Praying for Malaysia: Our Leaders
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2
As Malaysians, we love our country. We love talking about the food and the politics. We love engaging in debates about the issues and weighing in on how we can move forward as a nation. We are not so great, however, at praying. At least not me.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 we are urged to pray for all people, but especially for our leaders. The command is straightforward, but following it is not always as easy as it seems. As Malaysians, many questions arise:
- Which leaders should we pray for? The ruling party or the opposition?
- What should we praying for them? To do their job well? Or to get into trouble for not doing well enough?
In this article, we consider why we must pray for our leaders under three simple headings:
- We should pray
- For our leaders
- Especially as Christians
1. We should pray
Firstly, we should pray. We must pray (“urge” is a pretty strong word that Paul uses). Paul gives us an extensive list of prayers we ought to be praying: supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings. We must pray. So let’s pray! Not just talk about praying (or in my case tell people to pray), but actually pray.
Notice, we are to pray for all people. That means we should not be picky, and pray ony for people like me who are on my side. Paul gives the reason in verse 4: “God desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth”. In other words, our desires, expressed in our prayers to God, should reflect God’s desire. God wants all people to be saved, and so should we. In this sense, praying takes me out of my own concerns. God wants me to see things from his perspective: He wants all people to come to know him. And so we should pray.
2. For our leaders
Secondly, we should pray for our leaders:
I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions
Paul urges us to pray for our leaders – not just those we want to be leaders, or those we like to be leaders, but all of our leaders. We are to pray for our Yang di-Pertuan Agong and state rulers. We are to pray for the Prime Minister and his cabinet. We are to pray for civil servants, the police, the armed forces. We are to pray for all who are in high position.
It was not long ago, Malaysia had a tremendous change in the government. Many Christians who prayed for that change. But the question is: are we still praying? Perhaps the leaders we have aren’t the leaders you voted for. But if you are a Christian, the Bible reminds, we must be praying for all people, whoever our present rulers may be. God has placed them in authority to ensure the peace and well-being of all under their care. Pray for them.
Notice, verse 1 urges us to include thanksgiving in our prayers. We are to thank God for our leaders. There must be something we can thank God for them. We Malaysians are always going on about how “muhibbah”, how peaceful, how diverse a nation we are. Thank God for the government, the leaders, the authorities that we do have – however imperfect or perfect we think they may be.
3. As Christians
Finally, we should pray as Christians.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Verse 2 tells us why we need to pray for our leaders. We pray for our leaders so that Christians may live godly lives in peace. This doesn’t mean that our leaders are perfect or even perhaps, honest or good. But the very fact that we have leaders means that peace is possible. Certainly, we can pray for justice. We can pray for them to lead with responsibility and integrity. But we should not only pray for things to change or for better leaders, but that God would allow us to live kind of peaceful, quiet lives that commend the gospel.
The reason is given in verse 3:
3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Ultimately, we pray for our leaders, and for quiet and godly lives, so that the gospel can go forth unhindered. As verses 5-6 reminds us, God sent Jesus Christ, being himself fully God and fully man, to die as a ransom for all people. God’s ultimate desire is not simply for good leaders, an end to corruption, or the progress of the nation. God’s ultimate desire is that Malaysians would come to know Christ and be saved. If we love our nation, that should be our ultimate desire as well.
In conclusion, we should pray, for our leaders, as Christians, because ultimately we desire the gospel to advance. So will you pray?
A Prayer For Our Leaders
Almighty God, ruler of the nations of the earth,
give wisdom to our Yang di-Pertuan Agung,
to the Prime Minister and his cabinet
and to all who hold office in this land.
Grant that their decisions may be based on wise counsel,
so that peace and welfare, truth and justice may prevail among us.
Grant that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness
So that many Malaysians will come to a knowledge of the truth about Jesus,
who gave himself as a ransom for us all.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
How does the gospel motivate our prayers? Check out this article.
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Calvin Cheah was converted as a Malaysian student at Cambridge where he remains today helping Internationals hear the good news about Jesus. He teaches on the Philip Project, a bible course run by Friends International, and preaches at the Chinese Church.
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