In the passage of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, the Apostle Paul tells us how to pray in a way that’s pleasing to God. That seems to indicate that some ways are displeasing—prayers offered hypocritically & ritualistically (Matt. 6:5-6), thoughtlessly (1 Cor. 14:15), or selfishly (James 4:3). Instead, we pray “first of all”. That means “above all” we pray as a priority.
One of the reasons the first believers assembled was to devote themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42). Every meeting in our church ought to be a prayer meeting. There’s a powerful spiritual dynamic that happens when God’s people get together to pray. It must be a part of our weekly worship services. But even before we walk through the church building doors, we ought to be praying for the service, the praise team, kids’ workers & volunteers, for deliverance & decisions to be made for Christ. Pray that the Word will be declared with clarity, boldness, love, & power (Eph. 6:19-20). You could be praying for hearts to be open to the Word & full of praise, for many to act on our invitations to show up, & for everyone to sense God’s presence, & be in awe (Deut. 10:17, 20).
We are also told to offer all kinds of prayers. Paul mentions “requests.” Every week, we have prayer requests turned in which are emailed out to our “Prayer Force”—those committed to praying for requests such as healings, struggles, & pressures. This helps us bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). Another kind of prayer is actually just called “prayers”. It’s a more general term for regular prayers we say every day, even when no special need exists.
We’re called to pray for everyone. How many prayers do we offer for ourselves compared to prayers for others? Paul specifically says to pray all in authority. You may not vote for those in authority, but you can be a non-partisan pray-er. At the time he was writing this, wicked Emperor Nero was on the Roman throne, yet Christians were to pray even for him. It certainly would have been tough for Christians to pray for the ones who were persecuting them. Yet, Christian citizens can influence the course of national affairs through prayer.
The annual National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 7. We’ll be hosting an online prayer gathering that evening in addition to whatever community prayer events are taking place that day in person. President Trump has already made this announcement: “I am pleased to announce that on May 17th, 2026, we’re inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall to pray, give thanks, and to…rededicate America as One Nation Under God.” That would be a good thing!
Instead of constantly complaining about the President, Congress, Supreme Court, or Governor, let’s pray for them to have wisdom & submission to God’s will. We do so ”that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” Have you ever prayed for our country’s moral climate—for a more God-respecting, law-abiding, human-life-honoring, marriage-supporting, family-friendly, child-protecting, safer & cleaner society?
The goal of these prayers is ultimately for government to provide a peaceful environment that’s conducive to the spread of the Gospel & the good of the Church—that it can advance, free from intrusion or disturbance, & free to evangelize. That’s the point of the First Amendment—freedom of religion prevents the State from hampering the Church, not the Church from influencing the State.
Paul goes on in 1 Timothy 2 to say that God wants all people to be saved. Peter agrees that God wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). The central mission of the Church is to reach the lost, & the first thing to do is to pray for them. How? Pray for their hearts to be receptive, repentant & changed (Luke 8:5-12), for their spiritual eyes & ears to be opened (2 Cor. 4:3-4, Matt. 13:15), & to believe (2 Cor. 10:3-4, 2 Tim. 2:25-26). Let’s follow the example of evangelists like John Knox, who cried out to God, “Give me Scotland or I die,” & George Whitfield, who prayed, “O Lord, give me souls or take my soul.”
This is why we’re filling the “Prayerrow” in our lobby with rolled up pieces of paper having the names of family & friends on them. We’re praying they’d come to Christ, & to church. But we’re also praying for those we don’t know as we “Pray 4 (81) Downriver” (because all the zip codes in our area begin with 481). We’re walking through neighborhoods to pray for each home. We’re not knocking or talking, just walking as we pass by, pray, & hang a doorhanger that says, “We prayed for you.” It also provides a way for them to contact us if they have a prayer request. God uses prayer to open doors to people’s hearts.
Paul also mentions “that the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1 Tim. 2:8). Many postures are mentioned throughout Scripture—standing, kneeling, heads bowed, & eyes lifted. The main point isn’t the posture of the body, it’s the condition of the heart, & do what we can to be on good terms with others (Rom. 12:18, 1 Pet. 3:7, James 5:16). So the central point of the 1 Timothy 2 passage is that we should pray to create the climate necessary for the health & growth of the Church.