Come September we will have a new Prime Minister! The summer will be full of debate from the Conservative party leadership election. Very few of us have a vote, but these weeks are significant for us all as they will set a new direction for government.
So, how we can pray for the leadership of our country over the long summer weeks. Let's pray that our current leaders continue to take their role seriously, that those electing our next Prime Minister will choose wisely, and then for good government from the new leadership.
Why must we pray for good government? Well, in Romans 13:1, Paul reminds us that "the authorities that exist have been established by God". And in 1 Timothy 2:2, he explicitly tells us to pray "for kings and all those in authority".
In a democracy, there are quite a lot of people in authority, so this can seem a massive task. In the UK, the Prime Minister is considered first among equals. We don't have a presidential system of government, yet the holder of that role has huge power. The PM is our country's ultimate leader.
The Bible is full of instructions and advice on good leadership, and Micah 6:8 stands out as a template for prayer:
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
Let's look at each part of this command in turn:
Firstly, "act justly":
Let's be blunt, our politicians are often tempted to make decisions that benefit the powerful or the vocal, to act in ways that bring them personal advantage, and to pursue ideological purity at a cost to people's welfare.
In my opinion, we are seeing the latter as the leadership candidates woo those with particular ideological views within their own party.
So let us pray for integrity in government, and for our leaders to act justly for the whole population, not just those they think might vote for them.
Secondly, "love mercy":
Let's ask that our leaders remember they are serving real people, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet. Pray for our new Prime Minister to consider the worth of every person, and to be given wisdom to discern truth from untruth, to understand the issues and to weigh them up fairly with a heart of compassion.
Let's also remember that our politicians are real people, not simply the caricatures that might appear through a media lens. So we need to show mercy when we think about them. They are making themselves vulnerable, so let us pray for their strength and resilience, to be gracious under fire and not to base their own sense of worth on their media coverage or colleagues' words.
Finally, "walk humbly":
Let's pray that power does not inflate the egos of those in the spotlight. Pray they would be able to admit fallibility, and to see issues and people as God sees them - in which case, no person's troubles will be trivial to them. Pray for them to keep in mind their passion for meeting people's needs through politics, whilst remembering that no system is greater than those it serves.
I had the privilege of delivering the sermon at St Paul's church in Grange Over Sands in my constituency this Sunday. The awesome responsibility of preaching from God's word is rightly far more daunting than any speech I've given in the House of Commons! I spoke on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. The last sentence feels especially relevant: 'those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.' You see, God's view of good leadership is at odds to that of the world.
'All I can do is pray,' we might say. All? As if prayer is a low grade last resort? Let's remember who we are praying to!
We cannot solve all the world's problems, but prayer is our opportunity to go directly to the Creator of the universe, the One who holds all things in His hands, who breathed into existence every one of those exotic, unimaginably vast and distant objects of beauty, glimpsed by the new James Webb telescope, and yet who is intimately concerned about every aspect of our lives.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence" and Philippians 4:6 exhorts us to "present our requests to God ... in every situation".
So please pray for our leaders and our government during the next few weeks and for those members of the Conservative party who will choose between the final two candidates.
Tim Farron has been the Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, and served as the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party from 2015 to 2017. Tim is also the host of Premier's 'A Mucky Business' podcast, which unpacks the murky world of politics and encourages believers around the UK to engage prayerfully. Season 3 starts January 2022, you can listen on your chosen podcast provider.
