It is also interesting to read the government verses in context of the government of the day. The government was persecuting Christians. When it says to pray for peace, I think part of that means to just pray that our government will create a society where we can share the Love of God. Even if our leaders aren't Christians, we can always hope for peace and unity so that we can be free to be examples of God's love.
When it comes to governments, I feel like getting anywhere close to improvement is like bashing your head against a brick wall. So the first passage really made me stop and think "What if I stopped complaining about the government and started praying for them? Which would be more effective?"
Great verses today…my favorite so far! Every line is a wonderful reminder but also a promise of the benefit of prayer. And I love how it all flows together…almost like a song or poem.
I am so thankful that we are doing this together ladies! I read those verses twice and didn't get anything DEEP or anything relating to my life from them for some reason…but then I came here and lightbulbs went off all over the place!
Thanks for being here for me when my brain is tired and I have trouble connecting the dots! :-)
I love timothy 4:4. Love the idea of goodness in every of god’s creations.
To me it means to accept certain circumstances, be thankful Him teaching me important lessons in life. He’ll make even the most doubtful situations good if we turn to Him in prayer.
Praying for you enemies without anger was tough for me. When I closed my head and bowed my head I realized I hadn't prayed for that person in a long time…years. Anger and hurt was there, lingering in the sound of my voice in my head. I'm going to try again tonight or tomorrow to pray for them without anger. A friend told me, "You'll pray for him every day now." She is probably right. I'll pray till there is no anger. God wants everyone to be saved. Everyone.
I’ll admit that more often than not, I complain about the shambles that our government is in. But I never thought that praying for the people who make up the government was really that important. Also, like we discussed several days ago, we shouldn’t be afraid to pray specifics for our government. By God’s grace, I will learn to take praying for our authorities seriously.
Today struck me that we are to pray for everyone and that means (to me at least) even our "enemies" with out wrath or dissension because God's desire is all to come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Totally convicted here Kelli! My human side was all…pray for our enemies?! Na..it's not saying that, it's saying pray for kings & those in authority. But my Christian sides knows you are RIGHT. It does say ALL people & that God wants ALL people to be saved. You see, there are a couple people who have wronged my family over greed & quite honestly the last thing I want to do is pray for them. But you have convicted me Kelli & I AM praying for them right now :) Thank You!
Yes it sure is a huge commitment! yes the thing about praying for governments struck me too. also, I think I will take the advice of someone here and look at these in the Message as well as the NLT I usually use.
It struck me today not as praying to God without anger, but, in the context of the earlier verses, to pray for others without anger and dissension. I feel like we often pray for others to "see the error of their ways" or from a position that assumes we are right and they are wrong and God should change them. I think verse 8 is telling us to pray for others in humility, asking God to grant them the tranquil life of godliness and dignity that is mentioned back in verse 2.
I absolutely loved these verses today! It doesn't matter what side the leaders of this world are on, they should be prayed for because then we may live peaceful lives that are good and pleasing to the Lord. 1 Timothy 4:8 is a very challenging verse because all individuals, man or woman, should lift their hands to God without anger but doesn't God want us to come to Him with how He knows we feel? He wrestled with Jacob, I know He would do the same for all His children. 1 Timothy 4 calls us to be thankful for everything, and like N. Carey said before me – doing something beautiful for God today so that we will be beautiful doing it.
Sometimes I love reading the Message alongside my ESV to help me understand God's word in a different way. 1Timothy 4:8 MSG challenged me this morning!!
Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.
Sisters, do something beautiful for God today so that you will be beautiful doing it!!
What struck me most today is the call to pray for government/leaders. In the end, it doesn't matter as much that WHO is in office so long as they are serving and hearing the people to the best of their ability. Timely, considering the constant onslaught of campaign ads around here right now.
Hi Jen,
I was thinking the same thing!
1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV 1984)
"I urge that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone"
That verse drew me to our government leaders that they may remember who the ultimate leader is. With the election season in full throttle, this verse reminds me to pray our leaders will rely on God to guide their decisions.
Wow I'm so glad I came to this page! I was having a hard time getting something from the verses but YES pray for our leaders! Especially this election season!! :-)
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
it's funy, beacouse it's funny
It is also interesting to read the government verses in context of the government of the day. The government was persecuting Christians. When it says to pray for peace, I think part of that means to just pray that our government will create a society where we can share the Love of God. Even if our leaders aren't Christians, we can always hope for peace and unity so that we can be free to be examples of God's love.
When it comes to governments, I feel like getting anywhere close to improvement is like bashing your head against a brick wall. So the first passage really made me stop and think "What if I stopped complaining about the government and started praying for them? Which would be more effective?"
Great verses today…my favorite so far! Every line is a wonderful reminder but also a promise of the benefit of prayer. And I love how it all flows together…almost like a song or poem.
I am so thankful that we are doing this together ladies! I read those verses twice and didn't get anything DEEP or anything relating to my life from them for some reason…but then I came here and lightbulbs went off all over the place!
Thanks for being here for me when my brain is tired and I have trouble connecting the dots! :-)
I love timothy 4:4. Love the idea of goodness in every of god’s creations.
To me it means to accept certain circumstances, be thankful Him teaching me important lessons in life. He’ll make even the most doubtful situations good if we turn to Him in prayer.
Praying for you enemies without anger was tough for me. When I closed my head and bowed my head I realized I hadn't prayed for that person in a long time…years. Anger and hurt was there, lingering in the sound of my voice in my head. I'm going to try again tonight or tomorrow to pray for them without anger. A friend told me, "You'll pray for him every day now." She is probably right. I'll pray till there is no anger. God wants everyone to be saved. Everyone.
I have so many typos in this comment. goodness. I wish I could edit. Forgive me for rushing!
I’ll admit that more often than not, I complain about the shambles that our government is in. But I never thought that praying for the people who make up the government was really that important. Also, like we discussed several days ago, we shouldn’t be afraid to pray specifics for our government. By God’s grace, I will learn to take praying for our authorities seriously.
Today struck me that we are to pray for everyone and that means (to me at least) even our "enemies" with out wrath or dissension because God's desire is all to come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Totally convicted here Kelli! My human side was all…pray for our enemies?! Na..it's not saying that, it's saying pray for kings & those in authority. But my Christian sides knows you are RIGHT. It does say ALL people & that God wants ALL people to be saved. You see, there are a couple people who have wronged my family over greed & quite honestly the last thing I want to do is pray for them. But you have convicted me Kelli & I AM praying for them right now :) Thank You!
Yes it sure is a huge commitment! yes the thing about praying for governments struck me too. also, I think I will take the advice of someone here and look at these in the Message as well as the NLT I usually use.
It struck me today not as praying to God without anger, but, in the context of the earlier verses, to pray for others without anger and dissension. I feel like we often pray for others to "see the error of their ways" or from a position that assumes we are right and they are wrong and God should change them. I think verse 8 is telling us to pray for others in humility, asking God to grant them the tranquil life of godliness and dignity that is mentioned back in verse 2.
I didn't think of it that way and it makes so much more sense!! Thanks! :)
It also says more than just the rulers and their governments…. Before that it said to pray for EVERYONE YOU KNOW, and EVERY WAY you know how!
Wow. What a commitment.
That's very true! Man, that is a huge commitment!
I love 1 Timothy 4:4-5!
I absolutely loved these verses today! It doesn't matter what side the leaders of this world are on, they should be prayed for because then we may live peaceful lives that are good and pleasing to the Lord. 1 Timothy 4:8 is a very challenging verse because all individuals, man or woman, should lift their hands to God without anger but doesn't God want us to come to Him with how He knows we feel? He wrestled with Jacob, I know He would do the same for all His children. 1 Timothy 4 calls us to be thankful for everything, and like N. Carey said before me – doing something beautiful for God today so that we will be beautiful doing it.
Sometimes I love reading the Message alongside my ESV to help me understand God's word in a different way. 1Timothy 4:8 MSG challenged me this morning!!
Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.
Sisters, do something beautiful for God today so that you will be beautiful doing it!!
I love it!! I immediately changed the verses to the MSG version and it's so cool reading those verses!
Thanks for sharing and let's not chase the latest trends but do something for God! :-)
i do that too with a couple of versions. It's really helps understand the verses better.
Praying with others without anger or dispute – also timely. Prayer should be the focus, not our differences.
What struck me most today is the call to pray for government/leaders. In the end, it doesn't matter as much that WHO is in office so long as they are serving and hearing the people to the best of their ability. Timely, considering the constant onslaught of campaign ads around here right now.
Hi Jen,
I was thinking the same thing!
1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV 1984)
"I urge that request, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone"
That verse drew me to our government leaders that they may remember who the ultimate leader is. With the election season in full throttle, this verse reminds me to pray our leaders will rely on God to guide their decisions.
I think every time we want to complain about the way our government is run, maybe we should take a moment to pray for it…
I like that idea Megan.
I totally agree! :)
Wow I'm so glad I came to this page! I was having a hard time getting something from the verses but YES pray for our leaders! Especially this election season!! :-)
hey, my day 8 is for July 20th. That's correct, right?
My day 8 was yesterday. I'm assuming for me I signed up a day early & for you, you joined a day later :)
Hmmm…my day 8 is today-July 19th.