Troubled by leadership – civil or ecclesiastical? Pray. It is not an idle exercise like complaining is. Go to where something can actually be done. Pray.

I fear that many Christians in our day, think of prayer more as a formality than practical. We know we should do it. Scripture both commands and models it. But how many of us truly believe God is hearing and answering? How many of us truly believe that there are practical, tangible results from our prayers? And especially as regards matters like either ecclesiastical or civil leadership?

Sadly, many in our day imagine the greatest changes in society must be produced by activism and the voting booth. Our prayers are more akin to wishful thinking. We do them but we do not consider them true agents of change. We disregard the reality that in prayer, we have been granted an audience with the only One who can truly effect righteous and lasting change.

Beloved, do not relegate prayer to the mere performance of religious exercise. Pray as though God hears. For He does! Pray as though God cares. For He does! Pray for the ends you believe are best, committing the concern into His hands for the wisest and best disposal – and believe that He will answer accordingly. For He does!

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Rom. 8:32 It is true that He might not answer in the precise manner we would have preferred. But He can be trusted to answer more wisely, lovingly and carefully that we can pray. He is about more things than only those which we perceive by our narrow understanding. But He is never deaf to our petitions.

That said – pray. No leader’s heart is any less in the Father’s hand than any other. In the Church or in the World. No person or institution is outside of His watchful eye. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Prov. 15:3)

Pray. Watch. Expect. Our God IS at work.