Bishop’s Message

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 (NIV)

We don’t have kings in Singapore, but we do elect leaders to receive authority to govern our nation. The Bible here urges us to pray with thanksgiving for our nation’s leaders. May God grant them the wisdom and discernment so “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness”.

But the Bible doesn’t just urge us to pray for our political leaders. It also gives us positive examples of believers who served in politics. At the age of thirty, Joseph was appointed by the Pharaoh to serve as Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph is credited for having guided Egypt through long periods of abundance as well as famine (see Genesis 41:33-57). The Bible explicitly says that it was God who “gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace” (Acts 7:10 NIV).

Daniel is another example of a believer in the Bible involved directly in the politics of governing a country. God is again described as the one who orchestrated the rise of Daniel to a position of great political influence in both ancient Babylon and Persia (Daniel 1:17; 6:3, 26-28).

Whilst God is not explicitly mentioned in the biblical story of Esther’s rise to Queen, her courageous involvement in the dangerous political world of ancient Persia has inspired many to do their part in politics.

As Singapore celebrates her 59th birthday as a nation this month, let us pause to pray for all people, and especially for all who serve in the sphere of politics, “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness”.