“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2: 1, 3-4)
Good Morning Fellow Citizens of the Kingdom of God!
I endeavor to begin each new day with Bible reading and prayer. I spend a lot of time praying for my considerable family…my wife, my mother, my brother and sister, my eleven children, our twenty-two grandchildren and our new great-granddaughter. I pray for my friends. I pray for those of the church and its continuing witness in the world. I pray for those I know that have particular needs. When all is said and done, that’s a lot of praying. Am I done? Not according to this directive in God’s word. Paul urges Timothy that “Petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” He adds the reason why this is important by saying, “this is good, and pleases God our savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Now there is no way possible for me to pray for all people by name. It is beyond my capacity as a human being. The good news is that God knows their names. The One who knows the name of every star most certainly knows the name of every person who walks on this earth. The One who spoke the world into being and who said “before you were born I knew you”, knows each and every one of us by name. So we may pray that all would come to know Christ and his love. It pleases God that we do this. Now this does not mean that all “will” come to salvation. Scripture is clear on that point, but it does mean that the message of the gospel is universal. It is not just for those living in Israel, or the United States or the United Kingdom. It is not limited to one race, one sex, or one nation. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes in him shall have everlasting life.” When you pray, include all people…even your enemies. Never assume that anyone is outside God’s mercy or beyond the reach of the offer of salvation. After all…God called you, did he not? Who are you that he would do such a glorious thing? Who prayed for you, I wonder? Let’s pray!
God of mercy and Grace; We would seek to please you in our prayer life. Along with the prayers for those we know well and love deeply, we pray for all people, including those who would seek to do us harm, that they, too would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ…that they would come to know the truth that is the Gospel…that You love them just as much as you love each one of us, and that You earnestly desire their fellowship around the Throne of Grace. hear our prayer for all your beloved children everywhere. We make this prayer in Jesus Blessed Name. Amen!
pastormikemcdowell 
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