1 Timothy 2:1-7
Timothy was in a war (1 Timothy 1:18). He had been called and gifted by God for ministry in training people in God’s word. He had been trained by Paul for this ministry. And now he is on his mission: teaching truth, calling out error and leading souls to a merciful savior.
Now what?
What’s his first step? How should he get started?
Pray
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;” 1 Timothy 2:1
Notice the word “therefore”, this word is an arrow pointing us back in the text. It’s telling us “You may have read on, but don’t forget what I just said.”
Yes, Timothy is on a mission. And that mission will involve a lot of interaction with people. But it MUST all begin with prayer.
Pray First
Prayer must be first. Whether this is in priority or in chronology it must be first, not an afterthought. I wrote before on this passage and I’ll refer you to that post for further application of this verse.
Our focus in the ministry of God’s word is often consumed by the words we plan to say. We stress over the order of points, we look up endless lists of words in Thesauruses to find just the right word. This isn’t a bad thing, precision is important. But when we get fixated on our own performance we can miss the power of God.
We must pray first.
Pray for Everyone
Paul encouraged Timothy and the church to pray for “all men”.
Pray for everyone. Don’t hold back your prayers. Don’t assume that someone is beyond help.
I once had a student in Victory Club who was very difficult to work with. Rebellious, mean, defiant. I have to admit that when she stopped coming to club, I didn’t miss her. A couple months later I was going through my prayer planning notebook and was just about to strike out her name, when something stopped me. I left it there and prayed for her daily.
About 6 months later she came back to club, out of the blue. I was shocked. Then we invited her to a youth event a couple weeks later, where she was saved! I don’t give any real credit to my prayers, I give credit to the God Who called me to pray.
Don’t stop praying! Pray for everyone!
Pray for Leadership
“For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” 1 Timothy 2:2
Pray for your government leaders.
Our government dictates the boundaries of how freely we can present God’s truth. We in the United States are very blessed to have the freedoms we do. God’s influence in governmental affairs is vital for our freedom to carry out His commands. In praying for them we are looking for God to give us peace.
We do not look to government for permission to share God’s word. However government can be a tool in God’s hand for protection as we share his Word.
Pray for Souls to Be Saved
“3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3–4
God wants us to pray this way, because He wants everyone to be saved. This is a powerful reason to pray and to present God’s word boldly.
“5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:5–6
Not only does God want people to be saved, but Jesus made the way for us to be saved. Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind. He is uniquely able to ransom sinners.
Your Turn: Pray
My challenge couldn’t be simpler. Pray!
In preparing for this post I remembered someone that I have wanted to be see saved for years, but I haven’t been praying for them. I know how easy it is to want things but never pray, even things that I know God wants.
Think through your prayer list. Are there people who you should be praying for but you aren’t?
Is there anyone you have “given up” on. Let me encourage you to keep praying for them. God isn’t done with them, keep praying.
