‘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.’ 1 Timothy 2:1—2

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Tomorrow would be our nation’s 45th year of independence since 9 August 1965. May the Lord continue to bless the nation of Singapore and may the Christians of this land seek after God to guide them in their pursuit to maintain the freedom of Christian worship and the expression of their beliefs.

Mentioning Marina Barrage will jolt our memory of last year’s  Church outing. Being the first urban reservoir in the world, it was a must to visit. It was also the latest iconic landmark at that time, but since then, it has lost its novelty and freshness to the new kid on the block at the Marina front, the Integrated Resort. On the contrary, Alkaff Mansion in Telok Blangah Hill Park was once a place of entertainment and enjoyment for the rich and the affluent in the early part of the 19th century, but became defunct and abandoned after the Second World War. It was some years ago that the STPB had restored the place. During tomorrow’s outing, we would be able to catch a glimpse of Alkaff Mansion that has still retained some of its past glories. Please pray for good weather, blessings from God’s word and the fellowship of the saints at Telok Blangah Hill Park for this year’s Church outing.

The apostle Paul explains himself in verse one of 1 Timothy chapter 2 of the importance of prayer for all men by including people who were in high positions and authority because kings and monarchs had the temporal power to make difficult paths for Christians to serve God. Paul had Nero, Pilate and Herod in his prayer that, in spite of their wickedness, God might bring them to the knowledge of truth. Therefore, we are to pray for our national leaders who may be remote and inaccessible to us but not to God, who is able to save them by His power.

If we want to have the nation and the people’s best interests at heart, be sure that we include in our prayers the kings and monarchs because their decisions can lead to either the advancement or the hindrance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is sovereign and He rules and overrules all things to work together for good to them that love Him and to them that are the called according to His purpose.

Moreover, the purpose of our prayers for kings and those in high positions is that they rule with equity and fairness to the end, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. But primarily, it is to the intent that the Gospel of Jesus Christ be freely preached and offered to as many as the Lord has elected to save.

God is not against our prayer for peace and tranquility because He is not against the advancement of the Gospel. But peace is not an end in itself and tranquility is not an end in itself, but the salvation of souls that can only come by the hearing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The majority of the population in the past may be poor and deprived and yet they maintained a reasonable standard of good values. However, the increasing wealth and prosperity of our nation will lead to the decline of good values and morality. May the Lord continue to watch over our nation for good government and governance, that true Christian worship and the free offering of the Gospel may perpetuate to the return of Christ.

Pastor Douglas Ho