15 Dec Leading a Peaceful and Quiet Life, Godly and Dignified in Every Way

By: Phil Waldron, CEO

The Apostle Paul urges Timothy to preach to others that they should pray for kings and those in authority so that, “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, Godly and dignified in every way.” This past month on November 30^th, general elections were held here in Honduras. The buildup to the elections was filled with a lot of angst about whether or not the ruling party, Libre, would accept any result other than their being re-elected for another four years. As it turns out, as of this writing, the current ruling party is trailing in third place by a significant margin and the two other parties are tied “neck and neck” for first place. The vote here is a simple majority vote meaning that if one party achieves even one more vote than the other party that one vote will determine the winner.

We and our church here have been praying, during the lead up to the election, that God will intervene and choose the party that He wants to rule here in the next four years. Honduran citizens are facing incredible difficulties. More than 60% of the people are living in poverty. Homicides per 100,000 have declined over the years but are still the highest in Central America.

Last night, December 1^st, the electronic system “went down” obscuring the results on the vote counting. In the past, this has been the way that the ruling party has used fraud to steal the election. So, when the news spread about the system failure, the anxiety in the country spiked and will almost certainly generate mass protests in the streets. Please keep Honduras in your prayers regarding this fast-moving situation. Specifically, please be praying the prayer that the Apostle Paul urged us to pray, “for kings and all of those in authority so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, Godly and dignified in every way.” Your continued prayers are the very best way that you could help Hondurans right now.

Most days, I look at worldwide news in the dawn hours as I drink my first cup of coffee. Often the stories of war, torture, enslavement and death evoke deep sadness, but at the same time, the overwhelming feeling of impotence washes over me with the realization that I cannot do anything about it. I think that is exactly the feeling that the powers of darkness want to produce in God’s people. So, when I feel that impotence, I stop and immediately pray for God’s blessing and intervention for those that are suffering.

I mention this fact to ask you to NOT allow the sensation of impotence to prevent you from taking Honduras before God in these upcoming days. You and I are not alone. God welcomes us to cry out to Him on behalf of the poor and suffering peoples in the world, not just those that are in our immediate context. The following inspired words from Ephesians 3:20-21 often come to my mind as I consider how to respond in these moments, “²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”