How to Pray for the Government (with Scriptures)

Through the summer of 2020, I would join a prayer call every morning. Several times a week, the call specifically focused on the government.

I had never prayed so much for the government, but 1 Timothy 2:1-2 does say: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

I had never once thought that the first petitions should be made for the king (or president or government).

But the gospel goes forth a lot more easily with a righteous government, so it makes sense that we should pray.

Some decades ago, Bob had a connection with a friend of Laura Bush. He had prayed for the president, and some time later received a thank you note from the president that basically said, “Thank you for praying. This job is far harder than I would ever have imagined.”

Some years later, Bob heard Franklin Graham talk about an interaction that Graham had with President Obama. That president, too, said, “Thank you for praying for me. This job is harder than I could ever have imagined.”

Bob said, “Whatever our side of the political spectrum, we still need to pray and ask God, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

A few additional prayers:

• We can ask that the leaders would conform to the foundation of God’s throne: righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14).

• We can always bless people, especially that God would lead those not yet in the fold to repentance and conversion, that they would start to walk with you, Jesus

• We can ask that Proverbs 21:1 would be true each day: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

• We can ask that God not give us the judgment we deserve, but that he would give us a government of grace.

God would be within his rights to smite our nation, and any nation. In Ezekiel 22:30, the Lord says, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”

And yet, as people of prayer, that is our privilege. We stand in the gap and say, “Lord, give us grace, and not the punishment we deserve.”

We can remember the sin of another nation: “She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen” (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

God did away with them—and yet he would have spared this nation for the sake of ten righteous people.

Lord, may you always find ten righteous people, that your hand of judgment would be stayed yet a little while longer.

Lord, may your grace be the preservative of our cities, our states, and our nation. Thank you for Paul’s example of right living: that he urged prayer for his king, though he was living at the time of the Roman Emperor Nero, an unstable, cruel man.

Lord if Paul could pray for Nero, may we pray, too, for whoever is in power.

Lord, teach us to pray.

The weapons we use for the fight are not merely human; they carry a power from God that can tear down fortresses! Thank you, God!

Amy Joy

You are invited! Sign up for the Prayer Refresh, an email series with short prayers to pray as you go about your day. The first five readers all wrote me at different times and said, “This is changing my life.”