Why Pray for Israel? Part 2 – The “Israel of God”

Do you know which nation besides the United States is most frequently included in the geopolitical, economic, and religious headlines?”   [Ready with your answer?]  According to the Pew Research Center and Gallup Polls, next to the United States, the most frequently mentioned nations are Israel and China.  No surprise that China ranks so high; but Israel?  Not only is she ranked second or third between two world superpowers; the tiny nation of Israel has survived among neighbors and their proxies that have repeatedly called for her annihilation!  Might we suggest that the answers to this anomaly lie in the providential hand of God?

Why Should We Care About Israel?

In Part 1 of this series (See HERE.), we asked, “Why Pray for Israel?”   We concluded that one cannot account for either the prominence of Israel geopolitically or the long-term historic record of social and spiritual hostilities against the Jewish people without exploring the relationship of Israel to God’s sovereign plan of the salvation and restoration of His fallen creation.  We explained that to understand “Israel” in God’s plan, we must distinguish three meanings of this name.  “Israel” often refers to
(a) the “State of Israel,” but also can mean
(b) people of Jewish ethnicity worldwide; or,
(c) "the Israel of God" (Galatians 6: 16) which includes all people, both Jew and Gentile, whose faith identifies them as “spiritual seed of Abraham" (Romans 9: 6-7).  

Genesis 12: 1-3 records God's covenant with Abraham in which He promised three things: land, descendants, and blessings.  God repeated these promises to Abraham in Genesis 15:5-7 and 17:4-8; and later, to Abraham’s son Isaac by faith whom his wife Sarah had borne in her old age (Genesis 22: 16-18).  In turn, God gave Isaac’s son Jacob the assurance of God’s “Abrahamic covenant” (Genesis 28: 1-4).  But how does God’s promise of land, descendants, and blessings relate to His plan of salvation and restoration through the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Part 1 concludes with partial answers to this question from within the writings of the Apostle Paul in his epistles to the first century churches after the death and resurrection of Christ.  In Romans 1: 16-17, Paul quotes the Prophet Habakkuk in stating that THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (Habakkuk 2:4).  The patriarch Abraham demonstrated this faith when he ...believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Galatians 3: 6).  Wonderfully, God’s salvation is a gift to those who surrender their “works of righteousness” and by faith receive salvation as His “love gift” through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Sin-Bearer (Romans 6: 23; Titus 3: 5-6).

But, if the way of salvation is through faith in Christ and His Gospel, what obligation do Christians (Christ-followers) have toward Israel?  Again, the Apostle Paul, answers this question as we noted in Part 1 (Click HERE.).  There, we used a series of questions with Scripture references that provide answers.  We will now revisit these questions; and then, continue with more questions relating to God's plan for "Israel."
Note:  Our aim is not to present the "final word" on questions of God's sovereign plan. We could not presume to do this anyway based on our theological expertise.  But hopefully, our chosen format will provide a scaffolding for meaningful thought and dialog.

What should be our attitude toward “Israel” and “Jews?” 

1) Does the Gospel apply to Israel?  - Romans 1: 16-17
Paul's calling as an apostle and his testimony following his conversion made him a passionate and bold preacher of the Gospel to all people --"to the Jew first and also the Gentile."
Application: The Gospel is for all people to hear and respond.

2) Do both Jews and Gentiles face judgment without Christ?
     - Romans 2: 4, 9-11
Both Jews and Gentiles are subjects of God's kindness which ought to lead to repentance (turning from our sin) and pursuit of God's righteousness.  Otherwise, neither Jew nor Gentile can be saved from eternal damnation.
Application:  This truth is reason for us to pray for all people (1 Timothy 2: 1).

3) What example does the Apostle Paul leave for us?
     - Romans 9: 1-5
Paul was so burdened for the salvation of his Jewish countrymen that he could wish that he himself would be ...accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh... (v. 2-3).   
Consider:  Paul's example is reason for us to pray for Israel and the Jewish people.  But, we will need to distinguish what is meant by "Israel" to inform our prayers.  Read on, please.

What should be our attitude toward God's sovereign plan?

4) Does God have the right to define "righteousness?"

...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” - Romans 1: 16-17 (quoted by Paul from Habakkuk 2: 4)
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. - Hebrews 11: 6
Consider:  Although God is patient toward mankind, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3: 9), yet by God's standard of justice, it is ...not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy He saves us...(Titus 3: 5).  God alone defines righteousness.

5) Does God have the right to dispense mercy?
The Scriptures say, "Yes, He does."  ...as it is written, there is none righteous, not even one...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 10, 23).  So then, God has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens* whom He desires (Romans 9: 18; and see v. 19-21).
Consider:  God's exercise of His choice to whom He will extend mercy and grace is illustrated throughout the descendants of Abraham, beginning with Abraham through Isaac, and made very clear in His choice of Jacob the second-born twin son of Isaac rather than the firstborn, Esau (see Romans 9: 10-16).  So then, it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy (v. 16).  Praise God for His unmerited favor!  [We will address "hardening" in Question 9.]

6) Does God have the right to call Gentiles as well as Jews?
The short answer is "Yes.!" As established in Question 4 above, God has the right to define both His righteousness and to dispense His mercy (Question 5) as He wills.  Romans 9: 22-24 extends this logic by stating that the same God who ...endured with much patience objects of His wrath prepared for destruction...did so to make known the riches of His glory upon objects of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not from among the Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.  The Apostle Paul continues describing God's sovereign plan by referencing Hosea 2: 23:  I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, "MY PEOPLE," AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, "BELOVED."

Consider:  We can see from these Scriptures the ramification of God's covenant with Abraham which we discussed in Part 1 and reviewed above.  God had promised to Abraham that ALL THE NATIONS SHALL BE BLESSED IN YOU (Genesis 12: 3).  Even though God had chosen Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob to make up His "chosen people" in the Old Testament (O.T.) era, it was also clear that God was extending His mercy and grace to Gentiles.  For example, God had extended mercy to the Canaanite prostitute, Rahab (Joshua 6: 25), and the Moabite widow, Ruth (Ruth 4: 13-17), who became the great-grandmother of King David.  And so, Paul could write in Galatians 3: 8:  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham.... The faith calling of the Gospel of Christ was already evident in the Abrahamic covenant which foreshadowed God's plan to call people of faith from "all nations," both Jew and Gentile.
Question:  Does the message of Scriptures like Hosea 2: 23 and Galatians 3: 8 (above) suggest that God has given up on His "chosen people?"  Please continue reading.

Did God abandon His covenant with Abraham?

7) Or has God been working instead through a “remnant?”
The Old Testament Scripture in Hosea 2: 23, quoted by the Apostle Paul (See (6)), suggests that God extends His sovereign mercy and salvation to people outside of the descendants of Abraham.  You may ask, what will happen to God's "chosen people?"  Paul answers this question in Romans 9: 27 by quoting from another O.T. prophet, Isaiah, who lived 700 years BC when Israel was being threatened by Assyria:
For though your people, O Israel,
may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined,
overflowing with righteousness (Isaiah 10: 22).
In Romans 11: 1-5, Paul elaborates on “the remnant.”  First, he asks if God has rejected His people (v. 1) and concludes that He has not (v. 1-2); but instead, quotes God’s response to the prophet Elijah who was fearful and discouraged when he thought he was the only faithful person left in Israel (1 Kings 19: 18):  God replied, No!  But instead, …I HAVE KEPT FOR MYSELF 7,000 MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL (Romans 11: 4).  Paul then connects this O.T. reference to a the first-century remnant of his own time (v. 5) writing as follows:  In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
Consider: The notion of a “remnant” runs like a thread throughout the Old and New Testament Scriptures, pointing to God’s sovereignty and covenant love (Heb. hesed, or, “lovingkindness, mercy”).  In spite of the apostasy of both within Israel and among the Gentile nations, a remnant “remained steadfast in covenant loyalty. 

Through them, God’s purposes move forward…” (Bible Hub Commentary, click HERE).  Indeed, God’s remnant does not mean His plan of redemption is a small thing, as we shall now see.

8) What determines who becomes part of the remnant of Israel?
We have established that God’s covenant love and mercy does not include all of Abraham’s offspring, but only through the line of Isaac, Abraham’s son by faith (Genesis 22: 16-18), and through Isaac’s son, Jacob, renamed Israel.  Furthermore, as noted in Question 7 above, only a remnant of Israel will be saved (Romans 11: 5). The Apostle Paul explains why only a remnant of Israel were chosen. 

Summarizing his explanation in Romans 10: 1-5, Paul repeats his desire and prayer for his Jewish countrymen (v. 1) and commends their zeal for God (v.2).  But then, Paul laments that Israel by and large, …not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (by depending on “keeping a law of righteousness” of their own (Romans 9: 30-31) they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God (Rom. 10: 3).

And what is the “righteousness of God?” Short answer:  Jesus Christ!  For Christ is the termination of the law for [human-based] righteousness to everyone who believes (v. 4).  The alternative is to place confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3: 4) as many in Israel did, seeking to please God by their own works but failing to reach the standard of the righteousness of God which is only attained by Jesus Christ.  Instead, Israel …did not pursue [righteousness] by faith, but… stumbled over the stumbling stone…Jesus Christ (Romans 9: 30-33).  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and [even] that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast (Ephesians 2: 8-9).
Consider: In addressing Question 7 above, we stated that the notion of the “remnant” runs like a thread throughout Scripture.  Hopefully, we now understand that the proper "boast" of all who are the elect is a humble response to God's calling in repentance and in recognition of our need for the gift of the righteousness of Christ.
Question:  Can you see how the contrast between "human-based right standing" (i.e. "works of righteousness") before God and submitting to God's call to His righteousness is evident throughout the Bible?  The contrast began with Adam and Eve hiding behind fig leaves in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3: 7-8); then, continued between Cain and Able (Genesis 4: 1-8; Hebrews 11: 4).  Abraham produced a son, Ishmael, by his own works before Isaac was born as a son of faith (Romans 9: 7-9).  The same pattern continues through the history of Israel from the period of Moses through Joshua and the judges, the kings, the prophets, and into the current age.
Application:  The responsibility to yield to God's calling through the Gospel is one that every person must either accept or reject.  But how does that work?

9) What determines submission of heart to God’s calling?
Earlier, we explained that God reserves His sovereign right to define righteousness (Question 4) and to dispense mercy as He wishes (Question 5).  These biblical claims are predicated upon the central truth that ...without Christ, [we are] excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2: 12), and we are ...dead in our trespasses and sins...(Ephesians 2: 1).  Our "default condition" as a descendant of Adam is death and separation from God.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)... (Ephesians 2: 4-5).

How is it that the same God, rich in mercy, also chooses to cause hardening of hearts?  Scripture supports God's sovereign right to extend to anyone, Jew or Gentile...mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires (Romans 9: 18).  Later, in Romans 11: 7, Paul applies "hardening" to Israel, writing, ...that which Israel is seeking for [based on human-based righteousness; see Question 8), it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

Consider:  Logically, we can conclude that God reserves the sovereign right to allow hardening.  This divinely permitted spiritual dullness is God's judicial response to persistent unbelief.  Paul uses the example of the Egyptian Pharaoh who became hardened as he resisted Moses's pleas to free God's people from slavery (Exodus 9: 16; Romans 9: 17).  But God hardened not only Gentiles like Pharaoh but many within Israel as we noted above. Both were ...A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE  (Romans 9: 17).
Application:  What lesson is here for us to apply to our spiritual lives?  See Hebrews 3: 13.

10)  If God dispenses mercy or hardening, how can He find fault?
The Apostle Paul anticipates this question (Romans 9:18-19) and does not answer it, but simply warns readers not to question the Creator (v. 20-26).  To us, there appears to be a mysterious interdependency between God's sovereign call and election of those who will be saved, on the one hand; and on the other hand, the responsibility of each individual to hear and respond to God's call in repentance and faith in God's salvation through Christ.  In Romans 10: 8, Paul takes away the excuse that God's call is too faint or distant to hear: But what does [righteousness of God] say?  "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH  [to confess] AND IN YOUR HEART [to believe]" -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching...  Upon hearing the word of faith being preached in the power of God's Spirit, our individual responsibility is to ...confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord  ["supreme Authority, Master; and if we ...believe in your heart [core being; mind, will, affections] that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved... (v. 9).

Consider:   Only God knows how many out of all humanity have heard His call to repentance and faith; and still, they did not respond.  Can you remember times when you heard God speaking so near and inviting to your spiritual ears and tugging on your heart?  Then, hopefully you yielded to God's love in repentance and faith.  The Apostle Paul writes about the mysterious interdependency between God's choice of ...us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1: 4); and then, our responsibility to respond ...after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...(Ephesians 1: 13).  
Application:  Although we do not fully understand how God's mercy and grace interacts with our stubborn wills, hopefully we can worship and praise Him for saving us and sealing us for eternity in the body of Christ which is His church, the community of faith in Christ composed of both Jew and Gentile.  To answer our overarching question above, God did not abandon His covenant with Abraham but expanded it through a "new covenant" inaugurated in the blood of Christ who is our Great High Priest through whom we have personal access to the throne of God (Hebrews 4: 16).

11) Who or what is "the Israel of God?"
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians who were being drawn away from the righteousness of Christ back into "law-based righteousness."  He exhorted them with these words:  But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God (Galatians 6: 14-16).  Our understanding is that the "Israel of God" is Jesus Christ, God's perfect Israel.  Because of His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, Jesus is everything that fallen Jacob (renamed Israel) and his Jewish descendants of the nation of Israel had failed to become.  God gave His exalted Son, Jesus Christ ...as head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1: 22-23).  Christ, the "Israel of God, "fills all" of His creation with His glory, being Himself the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through His covenant with Israel and the new covenant in the blood of the Lamb which establishes His church.
Consider this!  God gave His Son who has all authority (Matthew 28: 18) to serve as bridegroom and husbandman of His church (Ephesians 5: 25-27).  When the eyes of the body of Christ, the church, the Israel of God, are focused on Him, the old covenant promise of land fades in comparison to the promise of our  "citizenship in Heaven" (Philippians 3: 20).  The ethnic divisions of Jew, Greek, Roman, etc., gender, and social class also dissolve:  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3: 27-29).
Application:  What do the claims of these Scriptures mean to you?  Take time to meditate on them.  Don't let the apparent theological complexity distract you from exalting Christ ...who fills all in all with His glory.

How then, should Christians pray for Israel?

12) Why has Israel seemingly "missed the boat?"
Given the prominent role of Israel in God's redemptive plan throughout the Old Testament, doesn't it seem odd that His "chosen people" should be so scattered and apparently abandoned?  The Apostle Paul anticipated this notion when he asked, God has not rejected His people, has He (Romans 11: 1a)?  Recall that we discussed how God gave Israel over to spiritual dullness (hardening) as His judicial response to their persistent unbelief (Question 9).  Then, in Romans 11: 11a, Paul asks more specifically, ...they [Israel] did not stumble as to fall did they?  Paul answers his question, emphatically "No!"  Rather, he explains that because of unbelief,  Israel was hardened, what produced a dual effect--  ...salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them [Jews] jealous (v. 11b).  The duel benefits are first, that by giving the Jews a "spirit of stupor (v. 8)...until the fullness of the Gentiles come in; and thus, all Israel will be saved...(v. 25-26a); and second, by the salvation of Gentiles, the Jews are moved to jealousy (v. 14).  It followed that if Paul could capitalize on their jealousy, at least some Jews might be saved (v. 14).

Application:  Again, if we are honest, we are no strangers to spiritual dullness.  May we not take it lightly as Hebrews 13: 3 cautions.  But also, may we be prayerfully sensitive toward others regardless of ethnicity or religious persuasion when we encounter spiritual dullness in them, realizing the miracle of God's grace that awakened us from spiritual death (Ephesians 2: 1ff).  Read on as we address what might be a prideful attitude toward the Jewish people.

13) As a Gentile, am I prideful over the spiritually dull?
Redeemed Gentiles such as us who realize that God still graciously allows His chosen people to experience a spiritual dullness while He calls lovingly to others to be saved (such as we were), it is easy to become prideful.   The Apostle Paul anticipates this unbiblical attitude and counters it with a wonderful botanical analogy to humble the prideful.  Many horticultural varieties from apples to olives have been enhanced over the years by grafting the branches (scions) that bear more promising fruit onto common, or wild, rootstocks.  No one wanting to improve a variety would graft a wild olive rootstock onto a rich-yielding rootstock.  Yet, Paul applies this unlikely scenario when he writes to bring humility to Gentile hearers:  But if some of the branches were broken off [to make room for you], and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either (Romans 11: 17-21). 

As noted in Question 12, here we see the olive tree as the place of privilege of the Jews while the wild branches are the Gentiles grafted in (saved) by God's grace.  But God is not finished with unbelieving Israel and will be grafting them back into the olive tree as "natural branches" if they forsake their unbelief (Romans 11: 23) --another reason the Gentiles (like us as "wild branches") should not be prideful.

Consider:  According to Paul's analogy, the rich root of the olive tree is believed to represent the Abrahamic covenant in which God promised Abraham many descendants (Genesis 12: 1-3; Gen. 17: 1-2).  The blessings of this covenant (See introduction above) were extended through Abraham's son, Isaac, and to his son, Jacob (renamed Israel).  Significantly, God affirmed His covenant with Jacob (Israel) twice (Genesis 28: 3; 35: 11).  In the latter instance, God appeared to Jacob, changed his name to "Israel," and said, 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company (or "congregation, assembly") of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.'"  Near his death, Israel repeated the covenant in the hearing of his sons (Genesis 48: 4).  

According to John B. Carpenter (Click HERE.), God was promising more than just that an ethnic (Jewish) line will come from Israel.  Much more, there will be a "company of nations" (Hebrew, k’hal goyim) which many interpret as the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word, ekklesia, meaning “church” or “assembly.”  In Carpenter's interpretation, "The Church did not replace Israel because Israel was always and already the Church, the promised “assembly of peoples." When the Apostle Paul speaks of the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), he is not speaking of a replacement entity; he is describing the continuum of God's ancient gathering of believers from all kinds of peoples and nations.  [Note that early in Israel's history, this "continuum" had included Gentiles such as Rahab and Ruth (See Question 6).]  Believers in Christ are the “children of Abraham,” and the true Israel is the one olive tree into which believing Gentiles are grafted."
Application:  Far from a prideful attitude over those who are spiritually dull, let us give humble praise to God and to Jesus Christ who is the ...head of the body, the church (Colossians 1: 18).  How will this understanding affect your attitude and prayers for those of Jewish ethnicity, and toward the Gentiles?

14) How should we focus our prayers for Israel? 
We have interpreted the command of Psalm 122: 6 to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” to mean that we should pray for the whole nation of Israel.  We have found no Scriptural prohibition of praying for Israel whether it be praying for the State of Israel, or praying for all who have Jewish ethnicity, or for “spiritual Israel,” the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6: 16).  In fact, given the ongoing Middle East conflict surrounding the Nation of Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, we ought to pray for that nation.  Also, given the current rise in Antisemitism, it is important that we pray for ethnic Jews and all who hate them.

As we have considered whether and how to pray for Israel or for any nation, there is an important biblical consideration.  Based on our reasoning in Questions 7-10, we can assert that ...they are not all Israel who are descendants of Israel (Romans 9: 7).  Many Jews within the State of Israel and worldwide are apostates just as there are multitudes of Gentiles in the United States and beyond who do not live by faith in God.  Still, a remnant remains steadfast in covenant dependence upon the righteousness of God through faith.  Through the true "Israel of God," Jesus Christ, God's sovereign purposes are unfolding daily on the path toward an eternal "peace of Jerusalem."  God's spiritual remnant, "spiritual Israel" looks forward to gathering in the New Jerusalem on ...Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12: 22-23).

Application: We understand that ...our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3: 20).  But, in the meantime, the Scriptures urge us to pray for ...all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1 Timothy 2: 1b-2).  When we obey these commands and pray for one another and for leaders like President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and their administrations, we understand that God has always worked through the hearts of a remnant of godly people.  Nations are only as godly as their leaders and citizens.  When we use the prayer format taught by Jesus, we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6: 10).  Our primary focus is not for the glory of any earthly nation or political leader.  Instead, we bow humbly before Jesus Christ, the true “Israel of God,” the One whom God has made …head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1: 22-23).   It is in the Body of Christ, the church, that our hope for the Earth should rest because …Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen!
Question:  How will you pray after having read and considered the 14 questions we have raised?  We trust that your faith is being strengthened because you are more able to evaluate the current geopolitical, economic, and spiritual forces at work through the lens of a correct biblical worldview.

Comments Welcome:  Hopefully, we have stirred some questions in your mind and we'd love to hear from you.  Just click the "Comment" link below and share your questions and insights on what we have offered in Part 2, or from Part 1 (Click HERE).  You can respond privately by writing to silviusj@gmail.com 

The Gospel: Power that Saves, Heals, Assures

Your phone rings, and it’s your doctor. 
She is calling to report your recent test results.
“I have ‘good news’ and ‘bad news,’ she says.
“Which would you like to hear first?”

Maybe you’ve been in that situation.  You know that something is wrong physically in your body.  But you cling to the hope that “good news” will outweigh the “bad.”  Hard as it may be to hear, you want the truth.  And, what good doctor would keep you from receiving an accurate diagnosis?

When we sense we are sick physically, we pursue a medical diagnosis.  Likewise, when we take time to examine our “spiritual health,” we may sense an uneasiness that all is not well.  Here, we also need to confront “what we think” about ourself (subjective) with an objective spiritual diagnosis (one from an outside source).

Hearing the Real “Bad News”
Two factors influence our spiritual health—one is objective.  It’s what God who knows all things says about our spiritual condition.  The other is our internal sensitivity and response to God’s Spirit and truth. 

A majority of humans on Earth have heard the message that God is a God of Love, Mercy, and Truth.  Sadly, Adam, the first man God created, chose to rebel against his Creator.  As Adam’s descendants, we were born into a genealogy that is plagued by a “spiritual sickness” known as sin (missing God’s mark).  This is the “bad news,” and it doesn’t come from within us—it is divine, objective revelation from God. 

The Old Testament psalms (e.g. Psalm 14: 1-3) and the Prophets (e.g. Isaiah 53: 6) declare what the Apostle Paul later confirmed in the New Testament: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23).  Quoting from Psalm 14, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote, in Romans 3: 10-12,

as it is written:  None is righteous, no, not one;
    no one understands; no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
    together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.

The “bad news” that we are not only sinners but are infected with sin as part of our nature is made worse by the fact that God will by no means clear the guilty (Numbers 14: 18).  In Hebrews 9: 27, we read:  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…  Bottom line, all of us are infected with the sin nature, we are sinners, and one day we must give account of our sin to God.

How We React to “Bad News”
Our spiritual health is also affected by a second factor—our reaction as sinners to the news that we are spiritually fallen and sin-sick in God’s eyes.  Such news is upsetting to our pride and quest for power, prestige, and profits.  As individuals, we are clever in our sin nature.  Our tendency is to deny, dismiss, and reject the “painful thought” that we are sinners.  Some of us join sociopolitical groups with others of like mind who reject God’s authority.  Here are a few “natural reactions” to our fallenness:

Excuse ourselves: “I’m not perfect, but I’m not a bad person.”
Extra humility (misplaced): “I’m so lost and depraved that God has given up on me.”
Dismiss God:  “I am perfectly complete in my world--without acknowledging God.”
Deny God: “God doesn’t exist.  Even if He did, He wouldn’t notice or care about me.”
Mischaracterize God: “God is Love.  Love cannot be vengeful toward anyone.”

Can you remember using any of these characterizations to deal with the impact of your “spiritual diagnosis?”  They are “natural reactions” to “bad news.”   But just as enduring a harsh Winter makes the Spring all the more wonderful, so accepting and acting on the Bible’s “bad news” makes the “Good News,” the Gospel all the more wonderful.  To use our medical analogy, we must hear the “bad news” and our doctor’s wise recommendations and then act upon them if we want the best possible medical outcome. 

Here’s how God’ and His Word does its work.  Greg Gilbert explains in What is the Gospel? how the “bad news” that God is a Holy Judge (Hebrews 9: 27) and mankind is condemned in sin (Isaiah 53: 6a)) is followed by the “Good News” that Jesus Christ became our sin-bearer (e.g. Isaiah 53: 6b).  First Peter 2: 24 states, Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’  Our only rightful response as sin-sick people is to bow in humility before the cross of Christ where the blood from Jesus’s wounds was shed to cleanse us from our sin.  There, by a humble act of faith, we can repent of our sin and be willing to confess it (saying what God says about sin) and then, turn from sin to live a life that pleases God according to His Word.

Two Online Messages You Must Hear
Because we are sin-full rebels from birth, it is difficult for us to accept the “bad news” of our spiritual sickness in sin.  It is even difficult for Christ-followers who have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation to realize how deeply ingrained sin is within us.  It is also difficult for us to continually surrender to His Spirit and to the Word of God [which] is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  But, if unsaved sinners believe and trust the Gospel, God will save completely forever (1 Peter 3: 18).  And, if saved, Christ-followers will submit to the Good News of the Gospel, it has the power to heal them. This is why I have written this relatively brief introduction to encourage you to view two excellent Gospel messages, each briefly described below.

The first message is “How to Change Deeply,” by pastor Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City.   Keller offers a Scriptural message that is greatly encouraging to many who will admit their sin just as the Apostle Paul so aptly confesses in Romans 7: 18-25.  Keller’s solution is to come to our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who lovingly bears your name on His breast.  There, in humility and gratitude for what Jesus did on His Cross, be filled with the Joy of knowing His great sacrificial love for you.  Then, as you embrace God’s joy and delight over you, realize who you are in Christ, and dare to allow His Word to pierce deeply into your heart and soul so that you can discern the thoughts and intentions of your heart.  As Keller says, “convict yourself with the Joy in Christ,” how deeply He loves you, and how much He suffered to ‘take away’ your sin and bring healing.  Then we can ask, “Why should I go on grieving the One I love… when He’s given me all I need in Him?

But, watch out!   Our sin nature doesn’t give up easily.  Lest we become diverted by assurances like Romans 8: 1 to devalue God’s saving grace and dismiss our sin lightly, Keller also includes examples of how to pray by applying the Joy of Christ by speaking back to him lovingly, intimately, and repentantly, about the depth of our sin.  In so doing, Keller notes, we can learn to connect the glories of the Gospel with our particular sin patterns to achieve consistent victory.

The second message I want to recommend is “The Gospel Heals,” by our own Pastor Zach Swift, West Hill Baptist Church, here in Wooster.  Pastor Swift provides practical teaching from Scripture in 1 John 3 on how you can be assured of your salvation by faith in Christ, and how you can be confident in your standing in God’s eyes in the face of lingering memories of past failures, or spiritual defeat that comes from falling short of God’s standards each day, or just not being able to “diagnose” why you are down or depressed.  According to Swift, our loving Father in Heaven “longs for you to have a healthy heart and a clear conscience…If you belong to God and you have repented of your sin, He doesn’t want you to live under that condemnation any longer.  Live your life to glorify Him, for the Gospel, for who He is, and what He has done in your life.”

In conclusion, I hope you will avail yourself of these two messages if for no other reason than to be encouraged through worship and love of our Creator and Savor God.  If you are struggling with pride and sin, realize that God’s power through the Gospel is greater.  If you are struggling in your conscience with sin you have already confessed and forsaken, realize that God knows all things.  He is our Judge, but He is also our Loving Father in Heaven.  If you have questions, reactions, or new insights, please use the “Comments” link below or write to me by e-mail: silviusj@gmail.com.

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Dedicated to the members of a Small Group at West Hill Baptist Church within which Abby and I are privileged to fellowship with other Christ-followers in pursuit of God, knowledge of His Word, and lives that please Him.

Persevering Prayer Points Us Closer to God

Jesus said, If you abide in Me (believe in Me and humbly yield to my purposes in your life), and My words abide in you (to guide how you think and pray), ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you (John 15: 7).

To me, this is an amazing promise from Jesus to His disciples (obedient, though imperfect Christ-followers).  This means He has entrusted spiritual and material resources to His sincere followers just as a master of an estate would entrust the affairs of the estate to his servants.  In turn, the requests made to the master by His loyal servants (or stewards) would only be in accordance with the interests of the master and His purposes. With this humble understanding, the stewards will also anticipate the master's responses to their requests and respond accordingly.

God’s plan is that every person would serve Him as a steward loyally serves his master.  When we respond by faith as repentant sinners to God’s plan of salvation through Christ (John 1: 12-14) we become His “adopted children (Romans 8: 15).”  So, when we pray, God wants us to ask as children who know and understand their “Daddy’s” wishes.  We bring our requests in a way consistent with what “Daddy” believes is best for us (Romans 8: 15).   Also, as both faithful stewards and as children of a loving Father, we ought to recognize and understand His answers to our prayers even if the answer is “wait” or “no.”

When our Master and Heavenly Father answers our prayers, we ought to be quick to thank Him and give glory to Him.  Like me, you may have experienced answers to prayer that have come, seemingly in spite of all odds.  But what about those prayers we have lifted to our Heavenly Father and continue to lift year after year without receiving an apparent answer?

This morning, I believe God provided me with a new insight; namely, that He is still my Master and loving Heavenly Father, even when He appears not to be answering me.  I had just finished expressed several of my “perennial prayer requests” to Him; requests that I’ve expressed many times according to God’s instructions on prayer:  (a) I asked in faith (James 1: 5-6; 4: 2), (b) in a way consistent with what I believe would be His purposes for the people and situations involved (John 14: 14), and (c) with a pure heart  and motives (Psalm 66: 18; James 4: 7-10).  Then, as if in an inaudible reply, God answered me something like this,

“Am I any less your Master and Loving Father if it appears to you that I am not answering? Though the way seems long and though My answer seems absent from the horizon, I am Almighty God.  In fact, if you will hold onto Me by faith, I will show you more of my sovereign purposes for you and for those persons and situations that concern you—and concern Me.  If you doubt, realize that is not a sin.  But instead, please cast your doubt and cares upon me because I care ever so much for you.  When you want to pray to Me in words but have only groans, let my Spirit carry your groanings to my throne (Romans 8: 26).  For there at my right hand, My Only Son, Jesus also prays for you (Romans 8: 34).  And I will hear Him!   After all, He is the One who offered to Me His loud groanings and tears while He suffered for you during His days on Earth (Hebrews 5: 7).  His suffering on the cross while being mocked by people and by the spiritual forces of darkness was a hellish and eternal suffering.  My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me, He said (Matthew 27: 46).  But His faith held strong, and now that you have died with Him and have been baptized into His death and raised to new life in Him, you too have the faith to wait upon Me (Romans 6: 3-4).  Your faith in Me and my Word will help you to keep looking up to Me while you wait.  Then, you will say as did My Son Jesus, ‘Not my will, but Your will be done (Luke 22: 42).’

Although I thank God for ‘speaking’ to me this morning in my time of prayer and through His Word, I am sure you would agree that we all still have many questions and struggles regarding our prayer life.  Kelly Kapic has written a book, Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering (InterVarsity Press, 2017).  I am encouraged by Kapic’s insights on how to pray in the face of seemingly inalterable situations like chronic illness or relational challenges.

In a brief excerpt from the book posted in the WORLD Saturday Series, Kapic cautions us against succumbing to “Enlightenment thinking” in our prayers—i.e  believing we can “understand transcendental realities in contemporary terms and sensible formulas.”  Instead, he points us to the psalms “which are full of struggle, [but] do not point us to answers and formulas…The psalms orient us to God. Our hope is in him who made and redeemed heaven and earth, not in our own intellectual acuity.”  Kapic instructs us to direct our prayers to God as did the psalmists and Job through their prayers of lamentation.  He writes,

In the third chapter of Job, for example, the sufferer responds to his situation with heartfelt lament. And his lament is not in isolation but in the context of his closest relationships, namely, with his wife and friends. In their presence he turns this lament toward God in a way that shows his ultimate trust in his Creator-Redeemer. The other laments we read in the Scriptures present this same combination of detailed realism regarding discomfort, pain, and complex fears, and the conviction that God is present, powerful, wise, and good… They see God not as removed from the earthly details of their lives but intimately and interestedly involved in them.

How About You?
May God help us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7: 7).  And, in the process of praying and abiding in Him and His Word, may we recognize that our Loving Heavenly Father will always answer in either a “yes” or a “please wait” or a “no.”  How will God answer us?  And, more importantly, will we recognize the answer when it comes?  Will we use this time of delay and waiting to draw closer to God.  Will we offer our lamentations in fellowship with spiritual accountability partners who share our burdens (Galatians 6: 2)?  Will we ask God for eyes to see Him even more glorious and lifted up as the awesome God He is? 

Thank you for reading and reflecting with me on what it is to persevere in prayer and to keep trusting and pursuing the God who answers prayer.  Please feel free to “Comment” (below) from your own experience, or send me questions you have about prayer.  In conclusion, take time to pray and meditate over the following adorations of God, one from the psalms and the other from the Apostle Paul:

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
                                                                                       -- Psalm 84: 11

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?  Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.  -- Romans 11: 33-36

George Washington: A Worthy Hero?

During my elementary school years, the month of February was one of my favorites.  As winter daylengths grew longer, February brought Valentine’s Day and the excitement of exchanging Valentines with my classmates.  I gave special attention to preparing and then exchanging Valentines with the girls in my class.

On a more serious note, February invited my teachers to offer interesting projects and studies of two of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.  I was always impressed that, unlike my birthday, theirs was honored with red numbers on calendars--February 12 and 22, respectively. 

George Washington (1732-1799) was born in Westmoreland Co., Virginia, south of what would become our nation’s capital, now named for him. His vocations were varied and significant:  Virginia farmer, Ohio valley wilderness land surveyor (1749-1750), commander of the militia in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83), contributor to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution (1787), and first president of the United States (1789-1797). 

Washington’s accomplishments became familiar to me very early in my study of American history—accomplishments that made him one of my most worthy heroes.  Later, I learned to associate George Washington with other titles—Anglican, Deist, Freemason, slaveholder.  More recently, the era of political correctness has labeled Washington as simply “a dead white guy.” 

Peter A. Lillback’s 1,200-page treatise which now rests heavily on my lap is entitled George Washington’s Sacred Fire.  Lillback attempts to portray Washington accurately from his extensive references to the historical records.  I highly recommend this book, and have chosen to include only a few excerpts here in defense of Washington’s integrity and faith in God.

The most frequent attempt to deny that George Washington had placed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior and as his hope of Eternal Life claims that he was a Deist.  Many who label Washington as a Deist would align him with the agnostics who claim neutrality on the issue of whether God exists.  If God does exist, He has been so uninvolved in the world that He is unknowable.

The Deist label upon Washington can be soundly dismissed.  In Sacred Fire, Lillback notes that the practice of prayer was gradually abandoned by Deism.  After all, why pray “to a Deity who on principle had abandoned all contract and communication with his creation?”  On the other hand, Washington is documented as having adopted a “lifelong practice of prayer.” Sacred Fire contains references to and excerpts from over 100 prayers that Washington had written out!  In addition, according to Lillback’s research, “There were numerous accounts from family and military associates—too numerous to be dismissed—of people coming across Washington in earnest, private prayer.”

Regarding our first president’s practice of the Christian faith, Lillback writes, “George Washington was not a perfect man. He occasionally lost his temper, he drank wine—maybe too much when he was a young man…he had a revenue producing distillery on his Mount Vernon estate…he owned slaves…which was not uncommon for a Southern gentleman of his day.  Like other human beings, [Washington] struggled with personal challenges such as illness, fatigue, pain, deaths of loved ones, loneliness, financial pressures, and step-parenting challenges, to name but a few.  Yet, as we can see from his writings, he attempted to walk according to the duties of the Christian faith.

George Washington’s Farewell Address (September 19, 1796) near the end of his two terms as president expresses his humble faith in the Almighty, a love for the nation he helped to form, and a hope that his contribution of over forty years would be viewed with good will for many years after he has gone to his eternal rest:

Though in reviewing the incidents of my administration I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.

I’ve lived through many February’s since I first celebrated Washington’s birthday.  But, having read portions of George Washington’s Sacred Fire, I am pleased to say that he remains one of my heroes.  Any of us who study the history of Washington or any other historical figure ought not to miss the blessed evidence of the hand of Providence in the lives of imperfect men and women.  As for me, I must especially remember that their lives are now history, but my race is still to be run to the finish. 

Lord, may we who fix our eyes on You lay aside the encumbrances and sin that weighs us down, and run with endurance.¹  May we speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty² –the liberty that causes us to live in the Joy of our salvation and to be gracious and merciful to others because of the costly grace and mercy Christ purchased for us and extends to all who will receive.

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George Washington:   Monday Evening Prayer:³
Most Gracious Lord God, from whom proceedeth every good and perfect gift, I offer to thy divine majesty my unfeigned praise & thanksgiving for all thy mercies towards me. Thou mad'st me at first and hast ever since sustained the work of thy own hand; thou gav'st thy Son to die for me; and hast given me assurance of salvation, upon my repentance and sincerely endeavoring to conform my life to his holy precepts and example. Thou art pleased to lengthen out to me the time of repentance and to move me to it by thy spirit and by the word, by thy mercies, and by thy judgments; out of a deepness of thy mercies, and by my own unworthiness, I do appear before thee at this time; I have sinned and done very wickedly, be merciful to me, O God, and pardon me for Jesus Christ sake; instruct me in the particulars of my duty, and suffer me not to be tempted above what thou givest me strength to bear. Take care, I pray thee of my affairs and more and more direct me in thy truth, defend me from my enemies, especially my spiritual ones. Suffer me not to be drawn from thee, by the blandishments of the world, carnal desires, the cunning of the devil, or deceitfulness of sin. Work in me thy good will and pleasure, and discharge my mind from all things that are displeasing to thee, of all ill will and discontent, wrath and bitterness, pride & vain conceit of myself, and render me charitable, pure, holy, patient and heavenly minded. be with me at the hour of death; dispose me for it, and deliver me from the slavish fear of it, and make me willing and fit to die whenever thou shalt call me hence. Bless our rulers in church and state. Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and thy son Jesus Christ. Pity the sick, the poor, the weak, the needy, the widows and fatherless, and all that morn or are borken in heart, and be merciful to them according to their several necessities. Bless my friends and grant me grace to forgive my enemies as heartily as I desire forgiveness of Thee my heavenly Father. I beseech thee to defend me this night from all evil, and do more for me than I can think or ask, for Jesus Christ sake, in whose most holy name & words, I continue to pray, Our Father.

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¹Hebrews 12: 1    ²James 2: 12  
³From:  George Washington’s Sacred Fire, page 807 (Providence Forum Press, Byrn Mawr, PA)

What to Do about ‘Fireworks’ in America

When I was an elementary school student, in the 1950’s, we were regularly asked to stand and participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.  I do not remember ever saying the pledge without the words “under God.” These words had been added by Congress in 1954 in the face of the threat of godless communism.

Today, the words “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are still recited by all who are willing to make this pledge.  However, it has become clear that many Americans no longer submit to God, and many no longer consider America a “godly nation” if indeed it ever was.  Our nation is deeply divided, particularly over competing visions of what America ought to be with respect to “liberty and justice for all.”

On this Fourth of July, the deep moral and ideological divisions are manifested in social and political turmoil that centers upon President Donald J. Trump and his administration.  Mr. Trump is one of the most controversial and, some would say, divisive and even hated presidents in modern history.  Many on the political left despise him because they believe he stole the presidential election of 2016.   They have resorted to attempts to tarnish and disrupt the Trump presidency by convicting him of collusion with the Russians.  There are also attempts to trap him in regard to inflammatory social issues, most recently his now cancelled policy of separating illegally immigrating children from their adult “guardians.” 

Meanwhile, many in the evangelical community disrespect President Trump because they believe he falls short of God’s moral and spiritual standards for the office he occupies.  Evangelical mistrust and moral criticism of the president continues in spite of his successful appointment of one excellent Supreme Court justice, and his intention to appoint a second.  In addition, President Trump’s policies seem to flow from his genuine respect for America, his emphasis on free enterprise and a good work ethic, and his respect for the sanctity of human life.

It is clear that the "fireworks" of political division in America will continue long after this Fourth of July.  Instead of arguing over competing visions of what America ought to be and the best ways to get there, I believe that Christ-follower’s, those who have surrendered their lives to the Person of Jesus Christ and His Word, are called to pray.   I do not see praying as a convenient cop-out from the “real world problems” we face.  Instead, those who have studied American history will know the vital part the providential hand of God played in the birth of our nation. 

Today in the midst of storm clouds of disruption and division, it is only fitting that Christ-followers pray for America and for her leaders.  The commands in Scripture to pray include those from the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth (1 Timothy 2: 1-4 (NIV)).

Paul is urging Christ-followers to enter into spiritual communication with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Our access to God is made possible by the shed blood of Christ who sits at the right hand of God.  Christ is glorified when we enter worshipful prayer in His Name.  [Click on box, “What Happens When We Pray?”] 

When we commune with God in prayer, we ought to realize that we are not in a position to inform Him of what He doesn’t know.  Rather, as Gordon T. Smith (The Voice of Jesus, IVP 2003) writes (p. 163):

…in true prayer God has a “privileged voice,” one might say.  And the final objective of prayer is not experienced in our speaking so much as in our allowing God to speak, to have the final word, but more, to have THE word that speaks into our lives. It is this word that empowers, liberates, sustains and guides; it is the word we long to hear.

Referring back to 1 Timothy 2: 1, the Scripture commands us to pray in several ways.  First, we are to petition (make requests of ) God according to His character and purposes.  Then, notice Paul also calls us to intercede (pray on behalf of the needs of others) and offer thanksgiving to God for others and for the blessings (and trials) He brings our way.

How then should we pray for our nation and specifically “for kings” on this Fourth of July, or on any other day?  After all, we do not have a king ruling over us as was the case when Paul wrote to Timothy around AD 63.   In fact, when Paul wrote the command to Christ-followers to pray “for kings and all who are in authority,” the godless Roman emperor Nero was in power.  The date of Paul’s writing was approximately one year before the Great Fire in Rome.  Nero, who many believe may have been involved in starting the fire, laid the blame on Christians and ordered the execution of many innocent believers. 

Instead of an unelected, godless emperor, we have a president who was elected to serve as the executive of a democratic, republican government.  Historically, presidents elected by the will of the people have been shown respect even among those who did not vote for him.  By all indications as I have already indicated, President Trump is sincerely trying against much opposition to keep his campaign promises for the benefit of our nation.  However, hatred of Mr. Trump and his conservative policies is continually expressed by vicious personal attacks as well as verbal attacks upon his wife, family, and members of his administration.

Christ-followers ought to expect a disregard for authority from those who disregard the authority of God’s Word.  But the souls of both nonbelievers and believers are worth much more than winning political arguments.  Therefore, Christ ought to be honored in all of our conversations and actions.  If we return to the Apostle Paul’s writing in 1 Timothy we can find Paul’s basis for showing respect for authority and being civil in conversation.

Immediately preceding Paul’s command to “pray for kings,” he writes, “I urge, then….” which may be translated “I urge, therefore...”  If we back up to 1 Timothy 1: 15-16 (NASB), we can see what the “therefore” is there for.  Paul reveals his own humility in the face of Christ’s patience toward him.  He writes (emphasis mine),

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.   Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

As Christ-followers perform the important work of praying for our nation and all those in authority, including President Trump and his administration, we ought to meditate on Paul’s testimony as the “foremost of all” sinners.   Like Paul, we should never forget that we were also forgiven an infinite debt of sin.  Then, as we confess our own sin and take the log out of [our] own eye…so we can see clearly to take the speck out of [our] brother's eye (Matthew 7: 5), perhaps our prayers will be heard and answered for the benefit of our own personal relationships, our families, and our nation,  that by God's grace it could be “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Application -- What About You?
If you are like me, you read lots of articles and books but fail to make specific applications to your own spiritual life as a believer and Christ-follower.   For example, you may have just read my article, "What to Do about 'Fireworks' in America" and are asking, "What will I do?"   If you are asking this question, here's a suggestion. 

The heart of this article is a call to PRAY.  If you re-read or scan the article, you will notice some thoughts on what prayer is and how to pray.  My thoughts on prayer are derived from what Daniel Henderson calls "Scripture-Fed, Spirit-Led Prayer."  For the past 20 months I have been blessed to pray in a small group at our church in which we use Henderson's approach, led by a former student and now brother in Christ, Kirk Fairhurst.  May I encourage you to read more about "Scripture-Fed, Spirit-Led Prayer" by checking out the following links, and then beginning to practice praying in this way individually and, as God allows, with other Christ-followers.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!
Links from Daniel Henderson's Strategic Renewal website:

The Power of Praying From the Bible
PRAYzing!  Fear Not!