Are You Praying for Our Next President and Other World Leaders?

By Ron Boehme | October 9, 2024 |

The Apostle Paul’s first letter to his disciple Timothy lays out some priorities for prayer:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 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 (1 Timothy 2:1,2 – New Living Translation).

First, we should pray for all human beings on earth (8.2 billion estimate). God wants us to have “world vision.” Second, he encourages prayer for the leaders over those eight billion folks. They are vital to peace and harmony on earth.

Are you praying for our next president and other world leaders?

Are You Praying for Our Next President and Other World Leaders?

Four weeks from now we will vote for the the most consequential position in the world–the president of the United States. The USA never sought the role of leading the free world. It was bestowed upon us due to our faith in God, the blessings that have come to our nation through practicing his laws and principles, and our commitment as a nation to fulfilling of the Great Commission (America sends out the most missionaries worldwide).

Before I discuss the importance of the biblical command to intercede for leaders, I refer you to two articles that explain why we must pray.

First, Dennis Prager’s insightful take on the deception of evil. His article is entitled People Hate Those Who Fight Evil Far More Than Those Who Are Evil.

Then please read Victor Davis Hanson’s most recent column on what is at stake in the nation of Israel and the Middle East. It’s called How to Blow Up the Middle East War in 5 Easy Steps.

Leadership is key to guide us through these 21st century minefields.

My favorite example of biblical leadership on how a nation can be revived from the top down is the story of King Josiah. I’ve had the privilege of speaking on this man’s inspiring life for decades. It’s true the greatest and most long-lasting spiritual awakenings spring from the “grassroots” up. But God also uses leaders to ignite or encourage them.

One account of Josiah’s revival leadership is found in 2 Chronicles 34. My bookshelf contains many Bibles I’ve preached from that contain eight “numerals” in that chapter that mark eight principles of his wise leadership that brought spiritual awakening to the southern kingdom of Judah.

You can easily read 2 Chronicles 34 in about two minutes (33 verses). See if you can pick out some of the eight character qualities that are found in King Josiah’s life.

The second one is found in verse three:

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David (2 Chronicles 34:3).

Amazingly, young King Josiah at the age of eight became a committed prayer warrior–a seeker of God. We don’t know all that he prayed for, but certainly his prayers included the good of the nation (which was in partial ruin) and his own leadership as a “kid” to help bring needed change.

We know that others in Judah were praying for the child king. One of them–the prophet Jeremiah–was a contemporary of Josiah. The third largest book in the Bible bearing his name shares the heart of the prophet, his prayers, and messages to the people of his time.

I’ve studied the book of Jeremiah in depth more than any other due to my calling to revival. It reveals the four sins of falling nations that have repeated themselves throughout history. For today’s article, let’s stick to the importance of praying for those in authority.

Jeremiah prayed for the leaders of his day and God answered his prayers through the spiritual awakening under King Josiah which gradually enveloped and blessed the nation over 26 years. God’s answers to prayers for leaders and authorities would be repeated many times in world history. That’s why Paul commanded Timothy:

“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.”

It’s time for a “habit check.” Are you praying for our next (47th) president and other leaders of the world?

Intercessors for America, led by David Kubal, is calling millions of people to pray for the U.S. elections. You can get involved by signing up for “40 Days of Prayer Leading Up to the Election” here. Please join this national and international “Prayer Force” interceding for God’s intervention in all the elections taking place on November 5.

If you can travel to Washington D.C. by car this week, you might want to take in one or two important prayer gatherings taking place in the capital. (I’ve joined many of these prayer events on site over the past 50 years.)

The first is the National Prayer Assembly (NPA) on Wednesday and Thursday, October 10-11. United, global intercession will happen in Washington, D.C., calling out to God who has promised to hear, forgive, and heal our land when His people come together to pray (2 Chronicles. 7:14). You can register for the NPA by CLICKING HERE. (Walk-ins are also welcome.) It will be held at the beautiful National Housing Center, 1201 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C.

This week, on October 10 and 11, many intercessors will seek God’s breakthroughs in America and around the world. As E.M. Bounds put it: “Prayer can do anything that God can do!” Especially if you live the D.C. area, please consider joining forces with fellow believers to resist the devil’s plans and protect our nation and the global Church from his agenda.

That’s the smaller gathering this week.

The big one takes place the following day on Saturday, October 12, on the Washington Mall. Prophetic activist Lou Engle, a modern day type of Jeremiah, is calling the women of America to “a fast not a festival” in the spirit of Esther. As Queen Esther rose to the challenge of standing in the gap for a nation, and Lou and other spiritual leaders are calling the women of America to come and pray.

They are hoping for one million women to stand in the gap and intercede for godly leadership in America. You can check out the details here. If you can’t attend the National Prayer Assembly or One Million Women Fast in person, please join in prayer from afar.

Fifty years ago, Leland Paris, a major leader in Youth With Mission, encouraged the world wide Body of Christ to fast and pray for America every first Friday of the month. I began that practice in 1974 and eventually made every Friday a time to pray for my nation and those in authority.

If you’re not already doing so, can you make a new prayer habit and join us (First Friday or every Friday)?

Gary Randall shares some insightful quotes on the type of leaders the world needs:

“Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who make excuses.” ― George Washington
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”― Ronald Reagan
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader.” ― John Quincy Adams

Let us pray for a revival of godly leadership in the nations.