A Quiet and Peaceable Life I Timothy 2:1-2

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

We all want a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. God tells us what we need to do to have this. Paul mentions, “supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving thanks.” What is the difference in these types of prayers? Supplications are for the averting of evil; prayers are for the obtaining God’s goodness; intercessions are for others, and thanksgivings are for mercies already received.

We are also to be in prayer for those in authority around us, both religious and civil. We are to be praying for our pastors and we are to pray for our state and national leaders as well. We do these things so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

How can we develop an effective life of prayer? Well the simple answer is to start praying! Get alone with God for 10 minutes a day to pray for God’s protection from the evil influences that are all around us. We are used to asking for God’s goodness in our lives. We also are to pray for the needs of others around us and then we are to be thankful for all that God has already done for us.

When we begin to pray in this way, 10 minutes will begin to turn into 20 minutes and 20 minutes 40 minutes! When we begin to look for those around us to pray for, our prayer time expands even more. As we start to expand our prayer time, we will begin to “pray without ceasing.” We will find ourselves voicing prayers at all times of the day for all sorts of reasons.

I have been on the road and heard a siren on an ambulance and I would voice a prayer for that person. I have had someone ask me to pray for a specific need or some individual and I have found myself saying, “Let’s pray right here, right now.” I pray when I am driving. I pray when I wake up in the middle of the night.

When we face fear, pray. When we face adversity, pray. When we are depressed, pray. When we are happy, we can pray as well! There is never a reason not to pray and there are all sorts of reasons for us to pray if we will just begin to do so! When we do we will find a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.