May the Lord Bless China
A few days ago, some government officials asked some brothers to pray for the Lord to bless China. This, of course, is the God-given duty and responsibility of Christians.
The Bible says: “I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; on behalf of kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2)
“Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The petition of a righteous man avails much in its working.” (James 5:16) “And seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to Jehovah for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jer. 29:7)
“And My people, who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways; then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)
“For we are not presenting our supplications before You based upon any righteous doings that we have done, but based upon Your great compassion.” (Dan. 9:18)
“Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.” (Matt. 18:18-19)
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6)
“Reviled we bless.” (1 Cor. 4:12)
“And indeed the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made expiation for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.” (Num. 16:47-48)
The ancient church father Tertullian (155-240 AD) said:
“For we offer prayer for the safety of our princes to the eternal, the true, the living God, whose favour, beyond all others, they must themselves desire…Just because he [man] is less than heaven, he [God] is great. For he himself is His to whom heaven and every creature appertains. He gets his sceptre where he first got his humanity; his power where he got the breath of life. Thither we lift our eyes, with hands outstretched, because free from sin; with head uncovered, for we have nothing whereof to be ashamed; finally, without a monitor, because it is from the heart we supplicate. Without ceasing, for all our emperors we offer prayer. We pray for life prolonged; for security to the empire; for protection to the imperial house; for…a virtuous people, the world at rest, whatever…an emperor would wish. These things I cannot ask from any but the God from whom I know I shall obtain them, both because He alone bestows them and because I have claims upon Him for their gift, as being a servant of His, rendering homage to Him alone, persecuted for His doctrine, offering to Him, at His own requirement, that costly and noble sacrifice of prayer dispatched from the chaste body, an unstained soul, a sanctified spirit…With our hands thus stretched out and up to God…the Scripture says, “Pray for kings, and rulers, and powers, that all may be peace with you.” [(1 Tim. 2: 2)]
We respect in the emperors the ordinance of God, who has set them over the nations. We know that there is that in them which God has willed; and to what God is willed we desire all safety, and we count an oath by it a great oath…But why dwell longer on the reverence and sacred respect of Christians to the emperor, whom we cannot but look up to as called by our Lord to his office? So that on valid grounds I might say Cæsar is more ours than yours, for our God has appointed him. Therefore, as having this propriety in him, I do more than you for his welfare…” (Tertullian, Apology, ch. 30, 32-33)
Brother Nee said, “We should change our attitude. We should not criticize, curse, or slander. As long as a regime does not forbid us from worshipping our God, we should bless it.” (CWWN, Vol. 59, Ch. 9)
On February 17, the Jews prayed for the virus situation in China at the Wailing Wall. Shouldn’t we, the Chinese, pray more for our own people? Some believers have been praying continuously for the past few weeks. We suggest to set aside February 23, from 00:00 to 24:00, as a special day of prayer. During this time, let us set aside 15 minutes or more to pray to the Lord, individually or with companions, in person or online, for:
- The ending of the plague
- Peace in people’s heart
- The stability and peace of the country
- The restoration of the normal way of life
- The Lord to bless China
- China to turn to the Lord