Hope and Honesty
Today is an interesting day. I have seen many in this last season express very divisive, painful, honest, fearful, and opposing statements. I have seen others push away these statements in defense, and in their own pain and honesty. I have seen post after post, article after article, and video after video claiming that the US is going to fall to pieces, or that the US will finally thrive.
I am a strong believer that we all have the right and freedom to speak our minds, and that we can and should claim these things honestly, reflectively, and prayerfully.
However, what I do believe is we are called to more than anything in these statements is a position of prayer. I am not saying people who have been expressing an opinion or claiming certain stances are not people of prayer, but I am saying that if we soaked our statements in more time of prayer, we would be more honoring to those we do not agree with or do not want to love.
I say all of this because I was recently really stirred by a sermon on 1 Timothy 2, and the call that is given from Paul to Timothy and the early Church. The text says, "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people."
I find this very timely because Paul is writing to Timothy in the midst of direct persecution by leadership and empire. He is not writing to Timothy and the early Church with an easy challenge. I find it very likely that Timothy and these early Christians read this and thought to themselves, “I’m not praying for those people!”
Nevertheless, Paul writes to them, from the Lord, and instructs them to make prayers, petitions, intercession and give thanks for all people, and specifically points out the importance of praying for kings and those in authority. This is so interesting to me because he doesn’t tell them to pray for these authority figures if they feel like it, if they like them, if they agree with them, or if they voted for them. The call was to pray for them; to pray for those who were in powerful positions, and for those, in their time, that were empowering their forces to persecute, kill, and overpower Christians, Jews, and their own people.
Maybe you don’t like Trump. Maybe you don’t agree with his policies, his stances, or his history. Maybe you do like Trump and agree with him. Maybe you’re feeling like you’re not on any political side. Maybe you feel like his inauguration is a step back, or maybe you feel like America will be great again.
Where ever you may be at in the ocean full of political views and stances, I would encourage you, from a Christian perspective and standpoint, that our call is to lift up those in authority with thanks and declaring the promises of God over their lives and our’s.
Again, many times I have seen voices lifted against Trump, and for valid, honest, and hard reasons. I am not saying we cannot lift voices up about the many things happening in the world and in America, but I am saying that there is more power in our voice than we think. As Christ followers, we are in-dwelt and empowered with the very Word of God to speak His Kingdom, will, love, grace, and hope into our world, lives, circumstances, etc. There is the power of life and death in the tongue, and I firmly believe that we are able to prophesy over those around us in positive and negative manners.
If we continue to speak negative words over ourselves, is it any surprise when we start living in the manner we are speaking? It’s no different when children are being raised and they hear certain positive and negative words spoken over their lives. Why is surprising to us that a child grows up to experience low self-esteem and social anxiety if they are constantly told they are not enough, ugly, or dumb?
In this same manner, when we speak out the negative things without also looking to proclaim and join in the activity of hope, and the positive promises of a better future, what contribution are we making?
And this goes both ways. When we only focus on the things we think are right, and bypass the negative experiences, stances, and realities, we are missing opportunity to prophesy life into the midst of a valley of dry bones that desperately needs breath and life. It is ignorance to think that there hasn’t been greatness happening in America or all over the world for that matter. It is ignorance to say there are not tragedies such as racism, sexism, and many other ‘ism’s’ persisting in the world today. And if we are ignoring these items for what we think is right, we are only adding to these tensions and problems more so.
Ultimately, when we only focus on one aspect of a situation, political view, or life perspective, we miss the opportunity to partner with the presence of the One who holds all things together, and calls us to a beautiful unity found only in Himself.
One of the most prophetic things I have heard is from Tom Hanks in an interview concerning Trump. He was open about who he voted for—not Trump—but said, “I hope the president-elect does such a great job that I vote for his reelection in four years.” This was after many interviews in which Hanks disagreed with Trump, stood for other candidates, and yet still he was able to settle into the position of hoping and speaking from that posture of hope.
It is easy to do the opposite of this and speak from a position of forgetting who we are and who God is, and what God is capable of doing. Yet, we are reminded through Scripture and the grace of God at work in many lives around us that our call is to live from the presence of God in a manner of honoring and loving those we do not agree with.
I write all of this to say that, as Christians, we are called to lift up those around us and leading us in thanksgiving and prayers. I am personally challenged by this because I have not done my due part in praying half-enough for those in leadership in my life. Whether it be from past presidents to leaders and mentors in my life, I have not given thanks enough, prayed enough, or asked the Lord about how He sees them, loves them, and what He wants to do in them and through them.
But, I can say that whenever I do turn to the heart of the Father, I feel His heart beat for a people who are united in the vision He proclaims. I feel His love pulse for those in this world to step into a greater understanding of the fullness of His good news. I feel a deeper call toward unity, which I truly believe comes through our understanding and celebration of each other’s differences. I feel His value that goes beyond political views and empowers all people to know their worth and come into a family that isn’t about nation, but Kingdom.
Again, I’m not saying that we can’t speak our minds, I’m not saying that you are not entitled to your opinion, I’m not even saying that I’m right about everything. I’m simply trying to state that, as Christians, we are called to first pray and lift up those in leadership in our lives so that peace and holiness may be experienced in our lives. I’m honestly opening up to say that we can and should speak up, but we should also soak our words in time spent with the Lord in prayer. We can absolutely speak the truth, but we should only speak the truth in love. There is definitely a difference between loving to the speak the truth, and speaking the truth in love. I believe that when we come into a posture of praying for and honoring those around us and in leadership, we will find ourselves better able to speak the truth in love.
And to better speak the truth in love, I think that when our first step is coming to the Lord, we will recognize that those in leadership in our lives are not God. We won’t look to the president for change only God can bring. We won’t look to America to be the hope of the world that Christ Jesus was, is, and always will be. We won’t look to temporary things for the eternal solutions that only come through the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. When we come prayerfully before the Lord, we will better understand His heart and vision for those in our lives. We will no longer have to speak from reaction, but from a deep source of eternal truth and response rooted in love.
In the end, I’m simply stating that I’m trying to be open, soak my words and actions in the presence of God, and live from that place. I truly believe that when we engage in this way of praying for not only leaders but all around us, that we will better be empowered to be aware of new angles, perspectives, and ways in which we can speak in hope, honor, and honesty. My prayer is that we would be a people who are constantly living from a posture of prayer and attention to the presence of the Lord, that we would be a prophetic people aware of the vision and insights of our King, and that we would speak truth and hope in love. Amen.
