Praying for your President, or the leader of your nation is the obligation of every child of God. In the area of prayer, there are many good Bible principles to learn and incorporate like Matthew 5:44. One of these principles is praying for people as opposed to praying against them. What we often do is they bring our sense of what we think is right, politically, into the Throne Room. Our sense, at times, is incorrect. We are not the standard of right. Jesus is.  Unless we have scripture for what we say we believe, then all we have is opinion. Be careful in these areas. How do you know that God holds your viewpoint? You just assumed that God is Republican. He’s not. You assumed God is Democrat. He’s not. He’s nineteen thousand billion miles above all of that. So, when praying for your president learn to pray the Plan not your Passions. We are workers together with God. Find out from Him what you should pray for. That’s where the hearing part comes in. God wants to hear His word in your mouth.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

[Tweet “We have incorrectly thought if we pray ‘for a wicked ruler’ we are condoning their behavior.”]

Read the Notes

You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This week’s call is:

Adjustments must be made in our ‘prayer thinking’ when praying for the leaders of our nation. The Lord must be allowed to ‘build the house’ as the psalmists said. That means waiting and listening to what the Spirit of God has to say about God’s plan.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question:  Please share your personal testimony of an adjustment you made which lead to an increase in the Presence of God in your life. Please share your comments, in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find additional information on the Name of Jesus in the resources listed below.

1. #S1-049: How to Cultivate Gods Presence In Your Life [Podcast]
2. #S1-050: More How to Cultivate Gods Presence In Your Life [Podcast]
3. # S3:025: How Timely Adjustments Unlock The Presence of God [Podcast]
4. #S3-026: Why Successful People Allow the Lord to Build Their Life [Podcast]

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe.

 Stitcher Radio                      Google Play

iTunes                                         PlayerFM

Share the Love

If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

_________________________________________________________________________________

Podcast Notes

Adjustments in Prayer: Praying for Kings

• Look at Jesus response to His disciples when the disciples wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans because they would not receive Jesus ministry.

Luke 9:51–54 (NKJV) 51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

• The disciples were against the Samaritans.
• They wanted to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the working of miracles specifically, to consume the Samaritan people.
• Destroy means to do away with something by completely using it up.
• The disciples wanted the Samaritans to be destroyed and done away with.
• If you’re praying against people, that’s the wrong spirit.

Luke 9:54 (NKJV) 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

• What was Jesus response to this with His disciples?
• He rebuked them.
• Rebuked, now that’s an interesting word.
• Jesus rebuked demons.
• He rebuked sickness.
• He rebuked violent winds and seas.
• And He rebuked His disciples when they were wrong.
• Don’t lose cool points with heaven.

Romans 12:14 (NKJV) 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

• The word ‘curse’ means to invoke divine harm or evil upon someone.
• Cursing people, wishing them harm, praying against people is the wrong spirit.
• That means presidents and kings too.
• You don’t pray against presidents and kings, you pray for them.
• Now, when you hear these words you already know this is common sense ‘love of God Christianity’.
• This is how believers should act.
• This is what spirit you are of.

Politics and Praying for Presidents

• Praying for enemies is all well good it seems except when we get over into the area of praying for political leaders.
• We seem to lose a bit of spiritual common sense.
• In the political world there are…
• Some godly leaders.
• Some ungodly leaders.
• Ungodly meaning unsaved.
• Some ‘wickedly’ ungodly leaders’ (or enemies of Jesus).

• Wickedly ungodly leaders are your serial killers dressed as politicians.
• For the sake of this lesson, let’s differentiate between nice unsaved people versus wickedly (or not so nice) unsaved people.
• The directive is the same for the godly leader as the ‘wickedly ungodly’ leader.
• What does the Bible say is our responsibility where enemies are concerned?
• Pray for them.
• What about ‘wickedly ungodly’ rouge type leaders?
• What about those who are just determined to come against the plan of God?
• There is no distinction, the Bible speaks of praying ‘for’ people not ‘against’ people.
• Bad things happen to serial killers.
• They happen BECAUSE you pray FOR them and not against them.

Romans 12:20 (NKJV) 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

• Enemies of God like Pharaoh end up at the bottom of the Red Sea after God finishes with them.

Our Sense of Order

• Sometimes, we stumble here because our own sense of right and order gets in the way.
• We have incorrectly thought if we pray ‘for a wicked ruler’ that we are condoning their behavior.
• We have also thought that surely, the only plan for a wicked man is to be saved and THEN maybe God could use him or make something of his life.
• What the scriptures teach is that God, at certain times and key moments, will jump over our sense of order and anoint an ungodly leader and use them to work His plan.

A Bible Example of God Anointing an Ungodly King: Cyrus

• Cyrus or actually Cyrus II, is an example of God anointing an ungodly king.
• Cyrus was the founder of the Persian Empire.
• He left a genealogy record of himself called the Cyrus Cylinder.
• This cylinder had text written on it.
• Here’s an excerpt.

I am Cyrus, king of the world, great king, legitimate king, king of Babylon, king of Sumner and Akkad, king of the four rims of the earth, son of Cambyses, great king, king of Anshan, grandson of Cyrus, great king, king of Anshan, of a family that always exercised kingship.

• King of the world?
• A little bit forward of him, don’t you think?
• King of the four rims?
• A little bit of pride in this statement of himself.
• Great king?
• His own high estimate of himself which he reiterates three times.
• Of a family that ALWAYS exercised kingship?
• A little arrogant, haughty, and exclusive don’t you think?

Historical Background: Cyrus and Marduk

• When Cyrus took control of Babylon, he portrayed himself as chosen by Marduk.
• Marduk, also known as Merodach, was a chief Babylonian god.
• Marduk was looked upon as the patron deity of the city of Babylon.
• The Cyrus cylinder also records this. ¹
• He also made rich offerings to the temples. ²
• So, first we can see his prideful heart.
• Second, he gives credit for one of his greatest military victories to a false god.
• Third, we see him worshiping those same false gods.
• Now, let’s look at God’s statement of him.

Isaiah 44:28 (ESV) 28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ ”

Isaiah 45:1–6 (ESV) 1 Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 2 “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

• This prophecy, given by Isaiah, concerning Cyrus was 200 years before Cyrus was even born.
• You would think, by reading the two statements, “He is my shepherd, he shall fulfill all my purpose;” and “Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus”, that Cyrus would be a man that would have a heart for the God of Israel.
• But, he did not. Cyrus was an ungodly leader.
• The Persians of the Old Testament are the Iranians of today.

• What made Cyrus peculiar had was his ‘religious tolerance policy.’
• Cyrus was unlike the brutal Babylonians whom the Persians conquered.
• The Babylonians way of treating those whom they took into captivity involved deportation.
• It called for ripping people from their homes.
• It made people worship the Babylonian way.
• You remember what happened with, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel, don’t you?
• Cyrus considered the religion of Israel as a cult.
• He showed the same favor to the Temples of Babylon and their ‘gods’ as he did to the Jews and the God of Israel.
• It was this ‘live and let live so our captors would be happy and not rebel against us’ policy which the Lord used to get Israel back to Jerusalem.

• The plan was to get the worship of God reestablished through the rebuilding of the Temple.
• God knew about this man, planned for this man ahead of time and anointed him to bring about His purpose for Israel.
• But, the Lord also had other purposes for this ungodly arrogant leader.
• God said these words concerning Cyrus.
• “I have taken him by his right hand.”

• Why? “To subdue nations and loose the belts of kings.”
• What happens when you loose the belts of kings?
• That’s easy, their pants fall down.
• In other words, God is going to use Cyrus to embarrass some of the other nations kings because of their pride.
• You see, Cyrus wasn’t the only prideful king among the nations.
• There were other members in that club.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV) 18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

• The Hebrew word ‘haughty’ means an unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem.
• Do you see what’s happening?
• God is using other men to deal with other men.
• If there is pride, there’s going to be a fall.
• The Word of the Lord will not fail.
• God’s plan was to use a proud man to deal a bunch of ‘other proud men’.
• He was going to use Cyrus to bring Proverbs 16:18 to pass in the lives of those who qualified.

• Why else did God call Cyrus?
• We have another reason in verse four.

Isaiah 45:4 (ESV) For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me.

• God used Cyrus to allow Israel to return and rebuild the wall under Nehemiah.

How All These Events Surrounding Cyrus Came to Pass

• Now, take a look at exactly how all of this transpired.
• Look at the following verses, starting with Second Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 36:22–23 (NKJV) 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!

• These exact words are also found word for word in the book of Ezra 1:1-3.
• The writer of Chronicles starts out by giving the year that all these events began to take place.
• They happened in the first year.
• The first year means the first year after he overthrew Babylon.
• Why did all this happen at this specific time?
• “That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom.
• But, all of this was first preceded by the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 29:10 (NKJV) 10 For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.

Jeremiah 27:22 (NKJV) 22 ‘They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I visit them,’ says the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’ ”

• You would think that’s all that’s needed, for the Word of the Lord to come forth.
• But there’s something else that must take place.

2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJV) 20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

• God’s Word must be believed and acted on after it’s been given.

Daniel 9:2–3 (NKJV) 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

• These events take place approximately the 68th year of Jeremiah’s prophecy.
• The Hebrew word ‘understood’ used here means to perceive or to discern.
• What can we learn from this?

• God gave the Word through Jeremiah but Daniel was the one who discerned it, got a hold of it and brought the plan up to God in prayer.
• Where does discernment or understanding come from?
• It comes from the Lord.
• So, the Lord gave the Word to Jeremiah.

• Then, the Lord gave Daniel discernment to understand the plan.
• Then, the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus in answer to Daniels prayer about the plan.
• Do you see the Lord building the house as per Psalm 127:1?
• Notice also, Daniel prayed the plan not his passions.

• Do you think Daniel had some ‘feelings’ about being taken captive?
• Do you think he had warm fuzzy ‘feel good feelings’ about being taken from his country and his home?
• Sure he did. Wouldn’t you?
• But instead of giving vent to those feelings, Daniel brought the Word of the Lord to the Lord and that’s what gave action to the plan.

________

References: