I exhort, therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. – I Timothy 2:1

With echoes of II Chronicles 7:13-14 in the background, Paul is not calling for extraordinary prayer here, but for daily, ongoing, consistent, persistent, passionate prayer for souls of men and women and the welfare of society.

This call to prayer is for all men first.

Then Paul becomes specific in commanding believers to pray for people in civil authority that the church might enjoy, with the larger community, quiet, peace, godliness, and honesty.

Furthermore, we are adjured to pray because it is God’s will to bring all men to salvation and truth.

It is sad that we need a special day to remind us that we ought to be praying all the time.

The following is merely an illustration, not meant to endorse one form of medicine over another. I have some pills that I must take every day by prescription. I try to minimize these with good nutrition and vitamins, but because of years of neglect and abuse, my body needs these medicines to function properly – at least for now.

If I forget to take a pill for my stomach, I can get by with it for a few hours, but at least by the second day, I will be hurting and the reminders will be evident.

If I forget my anticoagulant medication, however, I may have no symptoms whatsoever.  I will have no symptoms over time, but I will gradually increase my susceptibility to a blood clot. I will place myself in danger of a sudden hearty attack, DVT,  or stroke down the road.

Now God has prescribed prayer for ourselves, for others, and for our society.

If we live in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit we will most likely notice it if we miss a day of prayer. But the larger implications may show no symptoms at first. We will lull ourselves into complacency and false comfort.

In the meantime, our spiritual lives and the spiritual climate around us will erode until there is some great catastrophe as the natural result of the absence of supernatural intervention.

God’s message to us on this matter is that prayer matters.

It makes a difference.

Pray.