This letter is from St. Paul the Apostle to a young minister in the church at Ephesus (and Paul’s protegé) Timothy. In this letter Paul gives a lot of general instruction about church life and the kinds of challenges and conflicts that Timothy might face. It is a personal letter of counsel and wisdom, but also deals with specific matters of faith and Christian living.
In chapter 2, Paul impresses on Timothy the importance and significance of prayer. He starts this chapter off with those words — Firstly: I urge you to pray for all people. As Eugene Peterson says in The Message, “Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.” It is not just a daily discipline, but a throughout the day discipline. As you go about your day, pray for people. The more you do this, the more people will be brought to your mind. I have found this to be true for me. I will start with a small circle of close friends or family who I know are dealing with things or who are on my heart, and suddenly, I find myself praying for people whose names are seemingly randomly coming to the front of my mind that I haven’t thought of in years. Paul says, “Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf; and give thanks for them” (NLT). The point he is making is to really consider those you are praying for. Think about their needs; what’s going on in their lives. Ask God to give you wisdom in how to pray for them. And be thankful — for a friendship or for the influence / impact that someone is having in your life — this causes you to experience gratefulness personally, and it also brings to mind the way the person has blessed you or the awesome conversations you have had with them. If it is someone you are struggling with or have issues with, it is also an opportunity to pray blessing and speak life over them. You are shutting down the opportunity for bitterness to grow by blessing them.
St. Paul then says to pray the same way for rulers (those in authority) and those in positions in governments to rule well. This can be something we all say we do, but honestly, how often do we take time to really pray for those in office — especially those we aren’t fans of politically? I know that I am not consistent on this at all. It is certainly easier to pray for the rulers that we align with, but not so easy to pray for those who are diametrically opposed to a belief we strongly hold. Yet St. Paul is giving this counsel as one who had experienced living in a country occupied by Rome experiencing many of the atrocities that the Roman Empire committed against countries like Israel. So if he can say to pray and intercede and give thanks for Nero, who was quite an evil dude, can we do any less? There are times when I honestly don’t know how to give thanks and practice gratefulness for the actions of some of our government officials. Truly. but the truth is that God is invested in them as humans, as His created ones. So as I seek to be like Christ, my response must be as He responded — If your enemy asks you to carry his gear for a mile, carry it two. Go further. Go beyond. Be more intentional with my prayer.
Paul ends verse two with these words, “So that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” (NLT). As The Message states it, “So we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.” I love that. Living a peaceful life marked by godliness, divinity and staying in humble contemplation. That’s living above the fray. And that happens by practicing gratitude, consideration, selflessness, kindness, and generosity, all bound together with the cords of constant prayer for those around me, those beyond my circle, and those in positions of authority over me.