1 Timothy and Our Authorities

“¹I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. ²Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. ³This is good and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. “

-1 Timothy 2:1-4, NLT

My mind being what it is, I really cherish moments of peace.

I am thankful for this unexpected reminder from 1 Timothy today, here at the trailing edge of a presidential election cycle which has been one of the most bizarre ones I have been around to observe. This moment of peace has lit on my mind like a butterfly on a Zinnia (one of my Granny’s favorite flowers.) I’m reminded that people can’t provide to us the peacefulness we want. In fact, Paul here suggests the only way our human Authorities might create an opportunity for us to live in the peace we crave is if we pray, firstly, above voting, for God to help them do it.

This passage is a rare one, precisely speaking on government authority rather than being a passage which might or might not be appropriate to apply to government in some way. It’s a passage that not only tells us the importance of praying for God to help our authorities so we can lead lives of peace, but it also suggests that God is willing to do it. Note that there’s no distinction or caveat relating to how those in authority came to be in their role or what their relationship with God is like. This is also a great relief to me since I, as one voice among millions (sometimes tens of millions,) exert only the most minute gravity.

Whenever I read this sort of instructive scripture I have a reaction similar to if I unexpectedly take in an lovely aroma in a place; I sort of lean back in my chair and have a look around the room to see if the source of such a delightful experience might be evident so that I might give it context and tie it to a memory I can reach back for. In this case, I find it looking back a bit earlier, to the tail end of the first chapter of 1 Timothy as Paul begins to convey his purpose for this letter. Here he gives an antecedent to this charge to FIRST pray for all people; “¹⁸Timothy, my son,” the apostle begins, “here are my instructions for you… May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. ¹⁹Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear…”

Paul’s urgence is that, knowing there will be battles (not against flesh and blood, mind you, per EPH 6:12) we should first PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE who will be enveloped in them and there is a particular clarifying interest in mentioning “all who are in authority.” To my ear, in our time of choosing our Authorities, this strikes a bell for the portion of We the People attempting to walk in The Way. It’s a reminder for us to put our stock in God FIRST so that we don’t, by laziness or distraction, allow the things of this world to supersede in our minds and hearts the Giver of All Good Things. It’s an admonishment that affords us an opportunity to refocus as we (as I) often have need to.

So, then, the compulsion drives us toward the intention of it. I suggest to you, fellow Christ-Followers, that both now and in the time following your acquisition of your “I voted” sticker (and the consequent, near-obligatory sharing of it on the social media) that living a peaceful and quiet life marked by godliness and dignity is a goal well-worth pursuing. Especially, the peaceful part. “³This is good and pleases God our Savior…”

Do, however, make note of the final thought of verse four. It’s not a throwaway line when Paul says that God “… wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” Y’all, when we get to live obviously peaceful lives because of our relationship with God it points every observer to the truth, that our Salvation in Christ is the source of our peace and the only source of it. I believe, as the Word tells us, that in the soul of all mankind there is a strong desire for that peace. We who know where it can be found are the ones meant to show where the path to it lies. This is far more important than who we vote for.

As I begin to wind this entry up, I think it’s worth looking one step ahead in the passage just so we can solidify the perspective here. We are all, in our country, flawed persons in a messed-up world voting for other flawed persons to represent us in a less-than-perfect yet reasonably solid governmental system which is intended to, ideally, afford us the opportunity to lead these peaceful, quiet, godly, dignified lives which bestow upon us the privilege of directing others to the Source of our peace. Verse five reminds us that only Christ can reconcile us to God, the only chance for us to appropriate the peacefulness we all instinctively desire. Not a politician, not an elected official, not those other humans serving as our authorities. This is why we must, and FIRSTLY, pray for God to guide them – and we MUST unreservedly believe that He both CAN do it and He DESIRES to do it. Whether we voted for that person or not.

“This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” (v.6b)

Boy… did He ever…

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