The Roman emperor Nero ( circa AD60) was a murderous and bloodthirsty ruler. According to Tacitus, Emperor Nero would routinely torture the Christian minority of Rome by capturing them as slaves, "covering them with the skins of animals and sending them to be torn by hungry dogs... nailed to crosses, or dooming them to the flames to be burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired."
This short descriptive story becomes all the more captivating when placed up against the Apostle Paul's first letter to Timothy where he writes,
2 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way."
Now, to someone who is well acquainted with the writings of Paul, this passage may seem pretty typical for the Apostle, but when you consider that he wrote this after he had just been imprisoned in Rome (AD62-64) something very significant stands out.
The Apostle Paul, here in this passage, would be praying for Nero, not against him. He is saying that we should be offering "...thanksgivings for all people..." Thanksgiving??
With everything that is going on in America today--and don't get me wrong, much of what is happening is downright evil--it is pretty easy to lose sight of what we, as Christians, should really be doing. Yes, we must stand up and fight for our God-given liberties. Yes, we should be concerned and outraged at the current leadership of our nation But we must remember the words of scripture.
If the Apostle Paul can pray for Nero, I think we can pray for our president. If he can pray for his imprisoners, I think we can pray for our legislators. If he can pray for the people who were torturing him and would eventually execute him, I think we can pray for the unelected beurocrats, our school board, our county supervisors, and maybe even our neighbors whom, shall we say, we don't always see eye to eye with.
May our rulers fear our prayers as Queen Mary of Scotland feared the prayers of John Knox who would so often say at the end of his sermons, "Give me Scotland, or I die." But most importantly, may they fear the God to whom we pray.
By, Al K. Scott
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