On December 1944, at the height of World War II, General Plonel Paul D. Hawkins and Chaplain O’Neill of the Third Army. According to Hawkins, this is how Patton called upon the chaplain to pray:
General Patton: Chaplain, I want you to publish a prayer for good weather. I’m tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans. See if we can’t get God to work on our side.
Chaplain O’Neill: Sir, it’s going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying.
General Patton: I don’t care if it takes the flying carpet. I want the praying done.
Chaplain O’Neill: Yes, sir. May I say, General, that it usually isn’t a customary thing among men of my profession to pray for clear weather to kill fellow men.
General Patton: Chaplain, are you teaching me theology or are you the Chaplain of the Third Army? I want a prayer.
Chaplain O’Neill: Yes, sir.31
In the book, War As I Knew It, this prayer was distributed to every soldier in the U.S. Third Army:
Almighty God and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.32
The skies cleared within twenty-four hours. A week of perfect weather ensued, allowing the Allies to advance toward the Rhine. Patton was ecstatic and gave Chaplain O’Neill a Bronze Star.
As a young girl, I loved to play chess. While concentrating on every move, trying to figure out the best way to maneuver around the board, I noticed that the first pieces to be maneuvered would be the pawns. They were used to getting closer to the king; it was always about taking out the king. In chess, when a person takes out the opponent’s highest authority, their side wins. There have been many theories comparing chess to war. In war, there are tactics, strategies, defense, counterattacks, and breakthroughs. Every soldier has a vital role just as every piece on the chess board has a position. In the wrong position, a knight or bishop is powerless; in the right position, a lowly pawn can take out a king. Strategically, a pawn can support a stronger piece to take out the king, or the pawn can go directly and take it out itself. In Christianity, the pawn is the person engaged in spiritual warfare, prayers, and petitions. Often unheralded because their work is unseen, they are indispensable.
Years ago, I was invited to a women’s breakfast at a local church in our city. The speaker was a state senator here in my home state of Washington. She had faithfully served our district for many years. One of her statements to those in attendance was this: “If Christians knew the many things that we are called to vote on every day, they would be on their knees crying out to God for wisdom for their elected officials.” There are many paths that a person can take to participate in government. But there is one specific instruction given to the Church, and it is asked of every believer, and that is to pray.
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.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
The reasons above are simple enough. We are asked to pray for government in order to live peaceful, quiet lives. The opposite of peace is war. So, praying for governmental leaders will push back the warfare.
Of course, God would not tell us to pray if it were not necessary. But this begs the question: Is the future fixed or fluid? What impact do our actions have on the world and the lives around us? The answer, I believe, is in the scriptural examples of future outcomes based on choices made by people. Indeed, the evidence for cause and effect of certain outcomes is abundant. According to Michael Saia in his book, Why Pray?:
The idea of the absolute predestination of all events is not biblical. The notion that the Bible teaches this doctrine is based on false assumptions about certain passages. Because some events were predestined by God, this does not mean every event in history was determined ahead of time. If all choices are fixed, then there is no free will, love is a sham, and any relationship with God is worthless.
Consider these scriptural examples Saia references:
But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.
Jeremiah 23:22 (ESV)
Notice the words, “If they had…they would….”
If only you had paid attention to My commandments!
Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:18 (ESV)
Again, notice the words, “If only you had…then your well-being would have been….”
The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Corinthians 2:8 (NAS)
Notice the words, “If they had understood…they would not….”
And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
Matthew 11:23 (NAS)
Notice the words, “If the…it would….”
This last Scripture speaks to more than just the coming of the
Lord; it is also about being watchful and alert in prayer for our leaders and rulers in this world. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Matthew 24:43 (NAS)
Again, notice the cause-and-effect language: “If the head of the household had known…he would have been….”
There are many broken places in government that need to be restored. So looking back at our instruction, IF WE pray for authority, THEN WE will live a peaceable life. If we stay watchful and alert, we are protecting our house, city, and nation from being broken into.
Let’s not forget the most famous Scripture of all,
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Notice the words, “If my people…then I will….”
Another beautiful truth about our relationship with God is the ability to change God’s mind. It’s awe-inspiring to realize that we are heard by our creator and he considers our reasoning and our opinions when we pray. Consider Moses’ interactions with God.
The Lord said, “I have seen these people and they are a stiff-necked people...leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord, ”O Lord, why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’”
Exodus 32:9-13
Then the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Exodus 32:14
Moses reasoned with the Lord, explaining why destroying His people was a bad idea. In fact, he gave the Lord three specific reasons, showing that his entreaty to God was well thought out. This is not a symbolic story. If we can believe Scripture, Moses changed God’s mind.
Consider how Abraham reasoned with the Lord about the destruction of Sodom.
The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
Genesis 8:22-33
Abraham was able to get God to change His mind several times.
Of course, we’ll never know if the Lord could have been talked out of destroying Sodom to save one righteous person. The point is that God and Abraham engaged in dialogue, and God changed His mind.
One more recorded example of a person changing God’s mind is found in Amos 7.
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”
So the Lord relented.
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
Amos 7:1-6
All Amos had to do to change God’s mind was to argue that Jacob was small and would not survive if the Lord destroyed the land. It didn’t take much reasoning with God. So, was the Lord just looking for someone to ask him to stop? It’s hard to tell. What we do know from these examples, however, is that God responds to prayers and petitions, and everything is on the table.
Some people are called to intercession for the government and its officials. This is no easy task. Intercession is deep and takes much time and energy. The prophet Daniel was a governmental intercessor. His actions support the view that the future is not fixed, but instead responds to our involvement.
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed.
Daniel 9:1-4
Consider the evidence. If the will of the Lord is predetermined, why was Daniel so concerned about praying, fasting, and repenting for his people and his nation? In Daniel 10, Daniel set himself to pray for twenty-one days. Derek Prince, in his book, Praying for the Government, gives a fascinating take on Daniel’s intercession.
Daniel set himself to pray for twenty-one days with special earnestness for divine intervention on behalf of his people. At the end of this period, an angel came with a revelation that was the answer to his prayers.
The angel told Daniel: “From the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I come because of your words.” Daniel prayed for twenty-one days, yet his prayer was heard the first day. Why did he have to wait twenty-one days for the answer? In verse 13, the angel went on to give the reason: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.” This “prince of the kingdom of Persia” was not a human being. These events did not take place on the human plane. It was an angel who brought the message, and it was an angel who opposed the angelic messenger. Another angel, Michael, came to the assistance of the first angel. This was a spiritual warfare of angels in the heavenlies. Notice, it was what happened on earth that decided the course of events in heaven. This is a tremendous truth. Nothing happened until Daniel started to pray. It was Daniel’s prayers that got the angel through, not the angel that got Daniel through. Daniel got the angel through! If only God’s people would see that the issues are settled by us. They are not even settled by the angels. Revelation 12:11 tells us: “They”—God’s people on earth—“overcame him”—Satan—“by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” We are the decisive factor in the affairs of the universe. I am not exaggerating one bit. If Daniel had not prayed, things would never have happened in heaven. He had to pray for twenty-one days to get the answer. What delayed the answer? This was not because Daniel did not pray according to the will of God. There was nothing wrong with his prayer. Satan, in the person of the prince of the kingdom of Persia, was the reason for the delay.34
The future is not fixed. Everything is negotiable with God. Prayer is the leverage that we possess to change the world in which we live.
How and what we pray is equally important. First of all, a prayer can’t be in a void. Being specific as possible increases faith and opens the deep heart. It’s a good idea to know the names of the leaders in civil authority. What is the mayor’s name? What does he or she stand for? What are the names of the people on the local school board? What kind of decisions are they making for the children in their district? Is the state legislature trying to pass ordinances and laws affecting religious liberties or personal liberties? Knowing what’s on the docket and what’s being debated in session gives more substance to our prayers and intercession. Praying for wisdom is good, but specific directed prayer is better. In Scripture we see Jesus saying, “What can I do for you?” He asks us to give specific requests.
When it comes to government, the one thing we are all asked to do is pray. Set aside some time, weekly or bi-weekly, to lift up our governmental officials and the issues concerning our time.
This is a chapter from my book- Government and Its People-
Get it here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary%20Salamon/author/B07JBN3997