Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of your people and grant us your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Right around the time this devotion is initially sent out, my state will have a new governor. This is something that happens regularly. Sometimes they are people for whom I have voted, sometimes not. In truth, however, no matter who sits in that office and signs the bills into law, my life doesn’t change that much. I have never met a sitting governor. I suppose I have heard a few speeches on radio or television, but in truth, the various governors under whom I have lived have had little direct impact on my life.
We call upon the God who governs heaven and earth. That seems like a rather large job, certainly larger than the governor of a state. But what does a governor do? I think we often imagine God in that sort of a distant and far away role, many times removed from even the governor of my state. But reexamine my assumptions about governors above. It is true, I have not had much personal experience with the governor, but I benefit daily from the government of my state. I drive on roads, I pass by schools, some of which my children attended. I live near an airport where planes safely land. Those planes can take me anywhere in the world. I am protected by police and firemen. The avarice of my fellow man is curtailed by the laws which businesses and individuals must follow. I am blessed every day by government. I interact with it all the time.
In truth, the institutions of government, police, schools, road building, and so much more are part of God’s left-hand kingdom. Whether she acknowledges it or not, our governor is part of that governance. Through such people God answers this prayer, either granting us the temporal peace we ask for or granting us peace of another sort when conflict rends our world. Pray for your governor and the rest of those who exercise authority in this world. Pray that God uses them to bring the peace we all crave. And pray they fix the pothole in the street in front of my house and the one that is probably in front of your house too. And then delight in the governance of God in your life, who exercises his authority to forgive your sins.