The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day seven)

[…] For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1b

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, or kings and all who are in authority. 1 Tim 2:1-2

Pray. It sounds so simple, but it rarely is our first instinct. We rush to complain. We fret and get angry. We even may comment about it on Facebook, but how often do we step back and pray for our authorities and political leaders?

The sovereignty of God recognizes that He had foreknowledge of our current events. Whether that means that He chose our leaders for us or that He knew what we would choose, the fact is, God knew! The hope in this is that God knows who our next leaders will be too. Whether the person you voted for is in office or not, God will always be on His throne and in control.

So what do we do? We pray. Pray that our leaders and politicians will be shaped by the Word of God allowing these teachings to impact their worldview and policy. Pray for their purity of mind and heart. Pray that they will love peace and be open to reason. Pray that no matter the political party, that they will lead and serve with sincerity and impartiality. Pray that our civic leaders locally, nationally, and globally will know Jesus, love Jesus, and lead like Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day six)

“[Jesus] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead…Jesus Christ our Lord [King].” —Romans 1:4

For Paul, the good news was a royal announcement: Jesus the Messiah had risen from the dead and been enthroned as the world’s true king. Paul was not ashamed to make that declaration (Rom. 1:16), even as a Roman citizen living under Caesar’s rule.

Only a few years earlier, Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome because of unrest associated with “Chrestus.”  Jewish Christians had only recently returned. Paul knew that unnecessary hostility or public disorder could bring suspicion upon this vulnerable church.

Paul was not asking Christians to conceal that Jesus is Lord. He was teaching them to live under Caesar in a way that displayed the goodness of Jesus’ reign. Their allegiance to Jesus should make them peaceful, honorable, and trustworthy neighbors—not agents of chaos.

This resembles the command to honor our parents. We honor them sincerely because we are Christians, but their authority remains beneath God’s authority. Likewise, Christians are expected to be good citizens without giving government the worship or absolute obedience that belongs only to Jesus.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day four)

I think it’s important that we read this section of subjection to government in the greater context of Paul’s argument. At the end of chapter 12, Paul discourages us from seeking our own revenge and repaying evil for evil. Straight from that thought, Paul mentions government, seemingly to say that God uses earthly authorities as one way to carry out his justice on the earth. Justice is ultimately in the hands of God, and we can trust him to enact that justice in his perfect timing.

But later in chapter 13, before we would ascribe too much hope or power to government, Paul tells his readers to wake up! Rather than spin our wheels in earthly conflicts and disputes, or throwing ourselves into earthly structures that will not last, we should be sober and look alert – the Day of the Lord is near! “The night is almost gone, and the day is near,” when these earthly things will pass away and the perfect government of the Kingdom of God will reign.

Keep government in its proper place in your life, and look expectantly for the One coming to make all things right.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day three) 

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

As we move past our recent elections around our country, there is endless debate on what the results and surprises mean for our country. In reality, none of the results are surprising to God.  We must keep in mind that civil government is the way God designed His work to be carried out here on earth. He works through the leaders to accomplish what He wants to accomplish. I love reading through the Old Testament and seeing how God used the pagan leaders of the day to further His will and His work for His people. We see how Nebuchadnezzar and Darius were instruments that showed God’s might and authority. We see God using the Philistine king Achish protecting David until the time was right for David to go back to the Israelites. In the New Testament, we see God fulfil prophecy through the various kings of Rome when Jesus was a baby fleeing to Egypt and later before His death. History is full of God’s hand and work through the leaders of the day.

When we remember that God is the One that writes the story of this life, it hopefully gives us confidence and peace. Whether you see the election results as good or bad doesn’t matter to God. He is using these leaders for His purposes and His will to work through the government that He designed. Our response should be trust and submission. Here in verse one, Paul is reminding us that God is in charge, and we should, therefore, submit out of reverence to God.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 13:1-7 (day two)

 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. v. 7

 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

The passage for this week is easy to read when you like, believe, and trust the authorities. Whether it be a boss, a group leader, or a government, we tend to accept this as a good maxim. What happens, however, when we disagree or do not support those in leadership; this passage becomes a bit more uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Putting aside times for necessary civil disobedience, most of us find ourselves in a position of following people we don’t admire at some point. We often find a sick pleasure in making sure everyone is aware of our opposition and our displeasure. We might think that submitting to them would be some kind of betrayal to our way of thinking.

Paul ends this passage with a broad brush. Give them what they are due: tax, customs, fear…and honor. He later says in his letter to the church at Colosse that we should do everything as unto the Lord. This means how we treat others even when we don’t like them or agree with them. This may be a bitter pill to swallow, but how is your opposition helping your witness?

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” Madeline L’Engle – Walking on Water

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day seven)

And do not be conformed to this world…

The system of the world intends to gain conformity from its inhabitants. In fact, conformity is even celebrated in the name of individuality. People are encouraged to be “themselves.” What that really means is that the people are encouraged to follow the passions of their flesh. The world will always push the individual towards the idolization of self.

but be transformed…

The system of God does not demand conformity, though the system of the world attempts to sell it this way. Transformation is completely different from conformity. Instead of leaning on the flesh to be like the world, we are to deny our flesh and die to our old self. When we do so, we complete a metamorphosis and become something new.

by the renewing of your mind…

This transformation is ongoing. The world will fight back, and the old self will try to reemerge. But when we commit to drawing nearer to Jesus each and every day, we will find ourselves being transformed into something that looks less like the world and more like Jesus Himself.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day six).

Paul begins Romans 12 by appealing to “the mercies of God.” For eleven chapters, he has described God’s faithfulness in Jesus: sinners forgiven, enemies reconciled, slaves set free, and Jews and Gentiles welcomed into one family. Now Paul asks: What does a people formed by this mercy look like?

Mercy has a shape. It is not theory, abstract thought, or a spiritual platitude. It moves in and through his people in the messiness of life.

It looks like bodies offered to God and minds transformed. It looks like humility replacing pride and people using their gifts to serve one another. It shares with those in need, opens the door to strangers, rejoices with those who rejoice, and weeps with those who weep. Mercy blesses its enemies, refuses revenge, pursues peace, and overcomes evil with good.

God’s mercy was never meant to stop with you. Let it multiply through you into the lives of others.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day five). Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.
Paul uses an interesting phrase to describe the Christian Life- “living sacrifice”. From what we have learned and read in the Old Testament, we are familiar with the sacrificial system. Animals were killed and then put on the altar until they were totally consumed. They remained on the altar. Paul contrasts the dead animal sacrifices of the Old Testament Mosaic Law and borrows the imagery of temple ritual and altar service to redefine Christian devotion as a continuous offering of one’s life to God- living sacrifice. This idea of a living sacrifice was a jolt to those original readers and should be to us as well. And here comes the tension and difficulty with living sacrifices- being a living sacrifice demands an ongoing, intentional, regular, and frequent desire to surrender control of personal comfort, desires, and authority (self-sovereignty). The problem with living sacrifices is that they (we) tend to crawl off the altar deciding to live life as they (we) choose and see fit for them (ourselves). As we live “in view of God’s mercy” we are compelled to trust and surrender for His glory and our good.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2  (day four)

Everyone is interested in knowing God’s will. We all want to know his will for our lives – what career to choose, who to marry, etc. We want to know his will when it comes to large-scale world events so that we can make better sense of them. Most people who believe in the existence of God have an interest in knowing his will.

Well, Paul lets us in on something here: we can know God’s will. We will never know it fully (this was his point in chapter 11), but God wants to make his will known to his people. God wants to be known by us. So what is this secret Paul gives us for knowing God’s will? Committing our whole selves to his service, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice, letting him renew our minds to think differently. It is through giving our entire life to Christ, allowing him to take up every part of us, that we can begin to look like Christ and revolve our lives around him. As we develop this kind of intimacy with Jesus and learn of him more fully, we will understand more of his will in our lives and in the world around us. Again, we will never know it fully in this life; but the more we allow him to renew us from the inside out, the more we think and live according to his ways, and the more we understand about what he would have us do.

Everyone wants to know God’s will; fewer are willing to submit their entire lives to him, allowing him to renew them completely. Few are willing to offer themselves as a living sacrifice. God is not a code to crack, but a person to know. How do you need him to renew you today so that you can know him more?