Gtpministries.org – The Christian pulpit of the Ministry of Religious Affairs today discusses the Word of God in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 which reads: “First of all I advise: Raise supplications, intercessory prayers and thanksgiving for all people, for kings and for all rulers, so that we can live calmly and peacefully in all piety and honor. That is what is good and pleasing to God, our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and gain the knowledge of the truth.”
It is important for us to truly understand God’s will. Understanding God’s will guides every step of our lives. So that we do not walk without direction, but walk in a definite direction. Because, we know what God wants in our lives, both personally and us as God’s people in this country.
There are many people asking, what is God’s will for their lives? Some people even ask, what does God really want from his church and its people? From God’s Word that we just read and heard together, we found one of the simplest instructions and guidance, which actually all believers can do in their lives, namely prayer.
We remember one extreme story in the Bible, namely the story of Balaam in the Old Testament. He asked God what God’s will was when he received the offer to curse the Israelites. He asked God what God wants me to do? Even though he knew that the Israelites were God’s chosen nation. When king Balak’s messengers came to him and asked to curse the Israelites, he said it was impossible for them to be a nation blessed by God.
That is, theoretically he already knows, but he still makes excuses and still tries to ask what God’s will is. And God has spoken to Him, you must not curse that nation. But he asked again, Lord, is that really so? Tell me what God wants. Even though God has said what God wants. Until the climax, the donkey he was riding spoke human language to Balaam. God tried to awaken Balaam. From this story, we learn that there are actually various easy clues around our lives to be able to know God’s will.
Jesus gave a parable about a rich man and poor Lazarus. When the rich man who lived a wicked life died and went into a place full of torment, this man said and prayed and begged that Lazarus would rise again to warn his family and brothers. But God said, there are living people who warn them, if only the living are not listened to, let alone the dead. The real meaning is that there are many clues in our lives that tell us what is God’s will. Right now we read one of the simplest wills of God that God gives to us believers is to pray.
From the verses we read, we find two things. First, the prayer is so important that Paul gave advice to Timothy who at that time he left to become a pastor and elder of the church in the city of Ephesus. Paul said: First of all I advise: Raise supplications, intercessory prayers and thanksgiving for all people, for kings and for all officials. Pray for the nations, pray for the government, pray for the state officials. Pray for all people, pray for all individuals, pray for all communities, pray for every religion, pray for every group. So that God’s grace, God’s love, descends on all. It is said that we can live calmly and peacefully in all piety and honor.
Second, we find in this reading the principle that Paul instructed, advised Timothy to offer intercession for everyone. Because prayer contains power. We remember James 5 says, The prayer of a righteous person has great power. The prayer of a righteous person, if prayed with confidence, has great power.
James gives the example of a prophet in the Old Testament, namely Elijah. Elijah was an ordinary man as explained in James 5:15-18. What differentiated Elijah from the others was that he really prayed. That is the differentiating factor between Elijah and most people. He was an ordinary man, but the distinguishing factor was that he prayed earnestly. So when he prayed earnestly, God closed the sky for three and a half years without rain, not even a drop of water fell in Israel at that time. After three and a half years it is said again that Elijah prayed earnestly then God opened the sky and the rain fell again.
The church prays for the government, the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, specifically the Directorate General of Christian Community Guidance, to be a protector, to bless the churches, we Christians are blessed, protected, served in all of our activities as believers in this country, various policies, various services are provided, the church needs to pray for the government, the church needs to pray for state officials, especially for brothers and sisters in the faith so that God will bless, God protect, God will guard. Once again prayer changed everything. Elijah he prayed, I invite us to read this nats James 5:17
Elijah was an ordinary man just like us, and he prayed fervently, so that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
It is said that Elijah earnestly prayed that it would not rain. Brother, according to human logic, this is something impossible. How can we ask that it not rain, not just for a day or two, but for three and a half years? Even if we read directly in the book of Kings, there are those who say that Elijah prayed, Elijah asked, even in extreme language he ordered that the sky should not rain until I say so. Incredible, he dared to say that let the sky not rain until I say it. This means that the sky will not rain until Elijah says so. And it turns out that for three and a half years, Elijah locked the heavens with authority that came from God.
How extraordinary the power of prayer is. Once again, Elijah was a special person, who was different from other people and had a special anointing that ordinary people don’t have so that God heard his prayer. But James so beautifully reveals to us that Elijah was actually an ordinary human being, what made his prayer powerful was because he prayed earnestly.
Father, mother whom God loves. We are in a time where prayer is very much needed in our lives. This is a time when we need to increase our prayers. A good program is important, good planning is good, complete cooperation is also very good, but all of that becomes useless, has little effect, if there is no prayer. The power of prayer is the power that makes planning, implementation and all our cooperation useful. Once again it is said, Elijah earnestly prayed that it would not rain and that it would not rain on the earth. It turns out not only in Israel and I believe in this Bible text then in James 5:18 it says, Then he prayed and the sky sent rain and the earth brought forth its fruit.
Prayer makes the impossible become possible. Prayer makes the impossible possible. Prayer changes many people’s lives. Prayer changes the history of nations.
Father, mother, brothers, I invite you today, let’s increase our prayers, let’s be serious in our prayers. Because the Bible promises that the prayers of the righteous if prayed with confidence will be very powerful. Who is the righteous? We are righteous people. Not because we succeeded in justifying ourselves, but because God justified us in our mistakes. Because God qualifies us in our unworthiness. Because God sanctifies us in our humiliation and reproach. Because God washes us with His precious blood, cleanses our lives so that we become precious people before God, makes us new personalities, so that we become God’s saints.
The Bible says that prayers offered sincerely have great power. This is the time, this is the time. We are God’s children in this country, we Christians in Indonesia pray more earnestly, pray with confidence, for whom? For kings, for all dignitaries, for everyone. This is the time for the church to intercede. This is the time for the church and the government to join hands, we pray together for this vast country, for this great nation that stretches from East to West, North to South.
This is the time for us to fellowship together, not only fellowship in programs, fellowship in planning, fellowship in words and discussions, but we discuss in our prayers. Unite our prayers so that this nation will be anointed by God, and God wants everyone to be saved. We pray that God will save Indonesia, God wills it. This is not the ideal of a church, this is not the ideal of a pastor, but the Bible says that everyone should be saved. God wants Indonesia to be saved and gain knowledge of the truth. Amen
