COLUMN: Grey Matters – Don’t forget the advisors

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.” -E.M. Bounds.

As our communities prepare for their municipal elections on Oct. 28 ‘Grey Matters’ has been looking at the topic of ‘Faith and Politics’. We started with a look at the Old Testament. In the Old Testament there are several times God guides people such as Esther, Joseph and Daniel into government to serve God and people. In the New Testament, we looked at Jesus’ strong words for those who desire to be in leadership to first be a servant to all and not abuse their power. This week we will look at what Paul asks us of us when it comes to those in authority – pray for them!

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul calls us to pray for all people and those in power: “So then, this is what I want to ask you first. Please pray for all people. Ask God to supply what they need. Ask God to help them. Thank God for what he does for everyone. Pray in that way for kings and for all rulers and people who have authority. Pray for God to help them, so that we may live our lives without trouble or danger. Then we can live in a good way that respects God and other people.” Paul makes a major connection between our prayers for all of us including our leaders to receive help from God so that we can have peaceful and godly community life. Our community will do well when we have trustworthy servant-leaders and when we all know how to humbly receive God’s help for the challenges before us.

To Paul’s prayer list I would include political advisers. These people in the background have just as much influence as the leaders that are in the public eye. Daniel and Esther are eye-opening examples of the chaos and corruption bad advisors can create. The advisors of Daniel’s time made the king think himself higher than God and got Daniel thrown in the lion’s den even though the King loved him dearly. Esther’s king was being convinced by his advisors to wipe out the Jewish people, until Esther intervened. Advisors can lead governments astray and establish binding laws that harm others. On the positive side is Joseph, who with wisdom from above was able to advise the pharaoh and prevent many from dying from a famine that they would not have been prepared for.

With that in mind, here is a prayer for our rulers that includes their advisors and the rest of us:

Creator of all, true authority comes from you.

Give heavenly wisdom to those who govern.

May they be self-giving rather than self-imposing.

Give courage to those who must make difficult decisions.

Protect leaders from pride, cynicism, and corruption.

Surround them with wise counsellors.

May the advisors realize that their power is also meant for the care of all people.

Teach us to love truth more than victory,

justice more than personal advantage,

and you more than any political cause.

Give us the courage of Esther,

the integrity of Daniel,

the wisdom of Joseph,

and above all, the servant heart of Jesus.

May whatever influence you entrust to us be used for the care of others.

Amen.

Gary Dyck is a chaplain and spiritual care provider at a hospital and personal care home in the Southeast. He is also a candidate for Steinbach city council.