And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.[520]
This example plainly shows the procedure of faith. If the blessing of peace is to come through prayer, it cannot be done better than by taming the evil rulers and their iniquities by the power of prayer… Therefore, to seek peace through temporal authorities is a worldly affair. But to mitigate the iniquity of evil rulers through a prayer of faith is a spiritual affair befitting faith. [ There are many examples in the Bible to show that this is the right approach. During the days of Jewish persecutions, Esther offered this prayer to God: ]
Lord, God of Abraham, who is mighty above all others, listen to the voice of those who have no other hope except in you. Liberate us from those who have no being, and do not let them mock at our fall, but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the man who has begun this against us. Remember, Lord, to make yourself known in this time of our affliction! King of the gods and holder of all dominion, put eloquent speech in my mouth before this lion, and change his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him![521]
[ Esther knew that the injustice of evil rulers falls back on their heads. ] That is why she prayed courageously to God saying, “Turn their plan against themselves!”
When the Jews were prisoners of the King of Babylon, they sent a message to the Jews of Jerusalem, saying,
Pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and for the life of Belshazzar his son, that their days may be like the days of heaven upon the earth. And the Lord, will give us strength, … and we will live under the shadow of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and under the shadow of Belshazzar his son, and we will serve them for a long time and find favor in their sight.[522]
This prayer was offered by prisoners – and they prayed for the king their jailer. He was their enemy, and yet they prayed for him…
INTERPRETATION OF 1 TIMOTHY 2:1–3 (CONTINUED)
With these examples in our mind, we can better understand the intention of Saint Paul and why he exhorted to pray for the governing powers… He saw the temptations that surrounded the Christians living in a pagan world… He prayed that they should not become contaminated by pagan hatreds… For Satanic
