Image from biblia.com
View devo: https://bit.ly/3K5rjbZ
Hear the devo: https://bit.ly/47Q6cEx
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-7 NRSV).
When we said yes to Jesus we were saying yes to Jesus Himself and His entire worldview and mission. It was saying yes to an other person-centered love and care and a commitment to reaching the world with love and kindness. Anything less is not of God. We see with Jesus' eyes, not ours. What we may have learned from our parents that goes against this should be thrown out of our living and we try to become more like Jesus. And Jesus was all about serving God and God's people. We should have set about emptying our hearts of fear, ignorance, hatred, and indifference towards those whom we do not yet know and set about working way to better our world for each other. And as Paul stated in this opening of this passage, he reminds us that the only and best way to do these things is to pray and rely on the strength of God to help us do and be what God has asked.
Not programs, not politics, not protests, but prayer. This isn't because prayer is easier than action, but because prayer is the foundation that makes all other action meaningful and effective.
The scope of this prayer directive is breathtaking: "for everyone." Paul doesn't qualify this with "for everyone who agrees with us" or "for everyone who deserves it." He means everyone—the difficult people, the opponents, the strangers, the enemies. This kind of comprehensive prayer reflects the comprehensive love of God.
When we pray for "everyone," we begin to see the world through God's eyes—not as us versus them, but as beloved souls for whom Christ died.
"For kings and all who are in high positions." In Paul's time, this would have included Caesar—the emperor who claimed divinity, who persecuted Christians, who represented everything opposed to the gospel. Yet Paul instructs believers to pray for him and all who govern.
This challenges our natural instincts. We're quick to criticize leaders we disagree with, slow to pray for them. We're eager to point out their failures, reluctant to intercede for their success. But Paul calls us to something higher—to pray even for those whose policies we oppose, whose character we question, whose decisions we find troubling.
This doesn't mean we become passive or stop working for justice. It means we engage with the world from a foundation of prayer rather than a posture of mere opposition.
"So that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." Paul's motivation isn't political quietism or comfortable withdrawal from society's challenges. He's describing the conditions that allow the gospel to flourish—stability that enables evangelism, peace that permits discipleship, order that supports community growth.
When we pray for leaders, we're not necessarily endorsing their policies—we're asking God to work through them (or despite them) to create conditions where people can encounter Christ, where families can thrive, where the church can fulfill its mission, and where justice can prevail.
This prayer is ultimately missional, focused on creating space for God's kingdom to advance and His people to flourish.
Paul grounds the call to universal prayer in the reality of Christ's universal sacrifice. Jesus didn't die only for some—He died for all. His mediation isn't limited to the deserving—it's available to everyone.
This truth should humble our prayers and expand our compassion. If Christ gave Himself as a ransom for the political leader we can't stand, shouldn't we at least give a few minutes in prayer for them? If Jesus intercedes for our enemies, can't we join Him in that work?
The cross levels all our categories and makes universal prayer not just possible but essential.
When we pray for everyone—including those we disagree with—we become living testimonies to the same truth. Our prayers witness to a God whose love transcends politics, whose grace overcomes hostility, whose mercy extends beyond our natural affections.
This kind of prayer becomes evangelistic, demonstrating the character of the God we serve.
Praying for everyone challenges us at multiple levels. It forces us to confront our prejudices, to examine our hearts, to acknowledge our own need for the grace we're asking God to show others. It's easier to pray for people we like than for people who frustrate us.
But this difficulty is also an opportunity for spiritual growth. When we pray for someone who irritates us, we often find our irritation softening. When we intercede for someone we disagree with, we begin to see them as God sees them—not as opponents but as image-bearers.
Comprehensive prayer doesn't make us naive about evil or passive about injustice, but it does make us more like Jesus.
The call to pray for everyone isn't just about formal prayer times—it's about cultivating a heart that naturally thinks in terms of blessing rather than cursing, intercession rather than criticism, hope rather than cynicism.
This might mean pausing to pray when you hear a news report that frustrates you, asking God's blessing on a leader whose policies you oppose, or interceding for the coworker who makes your life difficult. It means viewing every person you encounter as someone for whom Christ died and for whom you're called to pray.
PRAYER: God our Savior, thank You for Your heart that desires everyone to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. Help us to pray with the same comprehensive love You show—for leaders and citizens, for friends and enemies, for those close to us and those far away. Transform our hearts through our prayers, and work through our intercession to create conditions where Your kingdom can flourish and all people can encounter Your grace. In Jesus' strong name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Choose one specific person in authority—whether political, workplace, or community leadership—whom you find difficult to appreciate, and commit to praying for them regularly this week, asking God to bless their life and work through them for the common good.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to me, and you matter to God!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
