“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
These two verses are bursting with big ideas worth talking about, but I want to focus on just one of them. Why does Paul want us to pray for those in authority over us? So we can live peaceful and quiet lives . . . in all godliness and holiness.
This verse bothered me for a long time. I didn’t want to live a peaceful and quiet life. I wanted to live a life of noisy excitement, great adventure, and action-packed thrill rides. What I learned, though, is that you don’t grow very deep in godliness and holiness on the action-packed days.
You might grow faith in the storm when all you can do it trust God to get you through – but you’re more likely to grow holiness in the stillness. It takes some peace and quiet to know more fully the God we serve.
I don’t know any longtime Christians who don’t have enough action in their lives. But the ones who have embraced the quiet moments with the Father seem a lot stronger when life gets noisy again.
Think: Which appeals to you more today, action or quiet? How can you make the most of peace and quiet, in terms of getting to know God better? Do you have a plan for the peaceful days – or do you try to fill them with more noise?
Pray: Pray for the people in authority in your life to do their jobs well in order to provide you with some peace and quiet in which to practice godliness and holiness.
Do: Find a whole hour sometime this week in which you do nothing but sit – awake! – without any music, TV, Internet, cell phone, or anything else. Use the hour to talk to God about anything and everything – and otherwise to just sit.