I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:1-5

How do your intercessions typically begin? Perhaps a family concern or someone battling illness. Paul’s prayer list here begins with those who exercise authority over us. What a challenge this would have been for Timothy and those under his pastoral care, given that no Christian ruler existed anywhere in the world at this point in history.

Paul notes that such prayer for those in authority ‘pleases God our Savior’ (v 3). This is not only a statement of the uniqueness of Christ but also a challenge to any claims of divinity attributed to the emperor. Moreover, Paul reemphasizes the uniqueness of the Savior as the ‘one mediator’ between God and human beings (v 5). Of this, Tom Wright notes, ‘Verse 5 offers an astonishing redefinition of Jewish monotheism, with Jesus in the middle of it.’ Paul is not only challenging the Roman worship of Caesar but also the Jewish resistance to Jesus’ divinity.

This affront to the status quo within the context of public intercessions gives us another glimpse at the wonderful claims of the glorious gospel. Paul here emphasizes that ‘one’ God has given himself for ‘all’ people (vs 5,6). We were once powerless and chained up, but the price of securing our release has been met in full. Praise be to God!

CLOSING PRAYER: God, I confess that the order in my prayers has to do with my priorities and concerns. Show me your priorities and concerns as I come before you.

(A Summary from Encounter with God)