What’s the first step? Figuring that out can be the difference between getting a task or project off the ground or sitting on it for days, months, or even longer. When we focus on the scale of a project – how many different steps are involved or how long it’s going to take or the endless questions that will need to be answered or the research that needs to be done or the skills that need to be learned – we understandably get overwhelmed.
And then we shut down. And put it off. It’s too much. It’s more than I can handle. I don’t even know where to begin.
But knowing – and then taking – that first step, is everything. Yes, hiccups will follow. Yes, things won’t go as planned and will need to be adjusted. Expect all of that. But it all seems so magically manageable once we just take that first step and get the ball rolling. Traction ensues and things get done and accomplished.
And of course, the more serious the situation, the more important it is to address.
I went through this not too long ago when putting down flooring in the garage bathroom of the parsonage. At about the worst time, the toilet tank started to leak. After realizing the bolts were rusty and corroded, compromising the seal, I elected to turn off the water, empty the tank, and remove it. That’s when I realized the line to the tank wouldn’t shut off completely, resulting in a slow leak on the floor. After not being able to stop that leak, I shut off the main water line for the whole house. Guess what didn’t stop leaking?
I was starting to panic a little, because I couldn’t stop this slow leak, which would have eventually flooded the whole garage floor if left unchecked all night. Eventually, I removed the toilet base and directed the leaking hose directly into the toilet drain. That worked to give me peace of mind until being able to call for some additional help to come the next morning. So the more serious the situation, the more important it is to take that first step – it’s not an option to leave it undone when the stakes are high.
How high were the stakes when Paul was writing to his fellow pastor, Timothy? The first chapter spills the tea: false teaching was creeping in, and it was already having the damaging effect of leading some astray, whom Paul even mentioned by name. So putting off that matter was not an option. Something needed to be done, and done right away. The first step needed to be taken. What was it?
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.1-2). Prayer. “First of all,” Paul writes, pray “…for all people.” The first step in dealing with the challenges laid out in the first chapter was to pray.
But we often do it the other way, don’t we? We act first, pray last, after we feel we’ve exhausted all other options. Think of how foolish it would be to paint a room that way. You open up the can of paint and start rolling it on and cutting in the corners. Then, after all the walls are covered with a second coat, you decide to go back and fill any holes or cracks and make any drywall repairs. Then, after you fill all the holes and cracks or make the repairs, you decide to tape off the baseboard and any light fixtures or switches. Why would you do all of that after you’ve already painted? It’s backwards.
Just like our prayer lives often are. We want to figure out what we need to do first. What’s the plan? Who needs to be involved and who needs to be talked to? What solutions do we have to come up with to figure out the problem? Then, after we do all of that, we wrap it all up with the nice bowtie prayer. After all, “all we can do now is pray,” right? Not according to Paul! Paul says that prayer should happen first of all and for all people.
Who is included in “all people?” “Kings and all those in authority” (v.2a). Or presidents – no matter the party. Or government officials – no matter the political affiliation. Or bosses – no matter the dumb policies. Or community, church, and home leaders – anyone in any capacity of authority, regardless of our own personal feelings toward or about them. All of them are to be included in our prayers, and not as a last resort, but “first of all.”
Why? “That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.2b). No, by “peaceful and quiet lives,” Paul’s concern is not that you could live the care-free life of a recluse or hermit, a life to yourself, uninterrupted by anyone else’s problems. He wasn’t urging prayers for those in authority with the goal of improving your quality of life by limiting hardship or adversity.
Rather, he urged prayers for those in authority so that their work permits peaceful living, so that we can let our light shine as Christians when we live “lives in all godliness and holiness.” Our godliness and holiness is God’s version of attraction marketing to draw people to the cross and to Christ. Our godliness and holiness is a direct reflection of him. Our godliness and holiness may be exactly what the Spirit uses to create curiosity in unbelieving onlookers. So pray for it and then produce it. You. Me. Live quiet lives in godliness and holiness.
When you do, you stand out. That sounds odd, doesn’t it? We’re not used to standing out by being quiet and focusing on living godly, holy lives. In a world of “who can yell louder and shock more,” we fall into the trap and get sucked up into all the noise, thinking we can out-scream everyone else. We can’t. But you’ll get the attention of your neighbor or your coworker when your godly, holy living is so awkward looking to them because so few operate within any ethical or moral framework like that. You’ll stand out because you’re odd.
And that’s part of God’s plan through prayer and producing the kinds of lives he calls us to live. It all fits in with his ultimate goal, which Paul reminds us of in the next verse. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (v.3-4). There’s two pretty good reasons for prayer: one, it pleases God; two, it is directly tied to his desire to see all people saved.
This kind of prayer pleases God. Just stop there for a moment and ask yourself how important that is to you. In general, how much of your time and thoughts are focused on pleasing God? Do you consciously think about pleasing God? How differently would we live if more of our thoughts and words were framed by the ongoing desire to please God? Prayer pleases God. Praying for others and for those in authority pleases God. If for no other reason than that, we have more than enough reason to give more time and attention to prayer in our lives because we want to please God.
It’s also good because it’s the game plan God put together to accomplish his goal of saving all people who come to know and believe in him. God wants everyone to be saved. Think about it. God didn’t just drum up some plan for salvation hoping that it would stick for a few people; he outlined – and then carried out – the perfect plan, a plan that would disqualify no one, a plan that would be possible for everyone, regardless of social status, intellect, or natural ability. It’s a plan entirely dependent on his work from start to finish, and he wants everyone to know about that plan of salvation and to be saved through it. And your prayers and my prayers are included in that plan.
And don’t forget, it isn’t just your prayers that are included in that plan: so are you. You are the beneficiary of it. You know the certainty of it. You have peace through it. His desire to save all people has already played out in your life. Paul reminds us how. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (v.5-6a).
A mediator is called in to work with two parties in an effort to get what is best for each side. Jesus alone did that. He satisfied God’s justice and paid the ransom price for our sin and rebellion. He died and suffered hell. He also provided for us the holiness we could never manufacture on our own. He tore down the barricade of our sin that separated us from God. He did that for you and me. What he did for you and me, he also did “for all people.”
Paul backed up that precious truth by reminding Timothy that he was not dwelling in the realm of theory or philosophy or even prediction of what might happen, but confirming that it already had. “This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles” (v.6b-7). The ransom price paid by Jesus was witnessed. It happened.
People saw it. People testified to it. People were still testifying to it – people like Paul. And, people like Timothy, to whom Paul was writing this letter. And, people like you and me, who not only can pray first of all, but also witness, testify, herald the good news to others. When that message accompanies our lives of godliness and holiness, we’re packing a powerful one-two punch for the gospel.
In the meantime, first things first: pray. Take that first step. Pray for what pleases the God who wants all people to be saved.