In our previous meditation, we established the connection between prayer and the fire of the Lord. We saw that unless we are acquainted with prayer, the fervency of the spirit, which is one evidence of the fire, cannot be attained. However, it is not only for the fire that we have to pray. The Bible enjoins us to pray for kings and those in authority, as this is what ensures our peaceful living. These may be people who have elective or appointed roles, they may be regular or situational leaders; what counts is that we should pray for them. Adhering to this instruction can help safeguard our leaders from errors and lapses in judgment – missteps that could significantly impact our collective well-being. 

When you pray for leaders, you are praying for yourself.

Here is an illustration. On March 22, 1994, Aeroflot flight SU593, en route Moscow to Hong Kong, crashed about four hours into the flight. The entire 75 passengers and crew died in that accident. The ill-fated plane was a brand new Airbus A310 with no technical problems. Investigation revealed that the captain had on board his two children who were going abroad for holidays for the first time. In the course of the flight, the captain welcomed his children into the cockpit; and having put the plane on autopilot, gave up his seat for them to have a feel of flying. It was when his 15-year old son took over that the autopilot partially disengaged and plunged the plane into crisis. The captain never regained control of the plane until it crashed. It was a lapse in judgment by the pilot, the leader, but so many innocent lives paid dearly for it. When you pray for leaders, you are praying for yourself.