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Shabbat Shalom!
I have a friend who is a rabbi in the Houston area. When I used to Read More
Layton E. Williams | Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4
The author of First Timothy first urges that prayers, supplications, thanksgivings, and intercessions be made for everyone, but then he singles out one particular group: kings and all who are in high positions. The implication is that praying for one’s leaders isn’t a natural impulse. Is this true for us?...
God, guide our leaders in your wisdom. Give them hearts of courage to enact your love and justice. Amen.
Jeremiah, “the weeping prophet,” grieves for the plight of his people. They have provoked God’s judgment by following foreign gods, and now there is no comfort to be found. The psalmist cries out to God from a similar situation of despair. Foreign nations have overrun the land, destroyed Jerusalem, and killed many of its people. The psalmist cries out to God for compassion and restoration. The author of First Timothy gives his readers two commands. They should pray for and honor their leaders, and they should be faithful to the one true God, with whom they have a relationship through Christ Jesus. Jesus in Luke tells a strange parable about a dishonest manager who is commended for his shrewd business sense, but Jesus turns his story into a teaching about good stewardship.
Read Jeremiah 8:18–9:1. When have you called out to God in distress?
Read Psalm 79:1-9. As you search for solutions to life’s problems, how do you demonstrate God’s call to love and to justice?
Read 1 Timothy 2:1-7. How do you pray for your local, state or province, and national leaders with whom you agree? with whom you disagree?
Read Luke 16:1-13. How do you negotiate the complexities of Jesus’ call to be a good steward of your resources as you work to serve God rather than money?
Respond by posting a prayer.
