Politics Divides, Prayer Unites

As a citizen of a nation and as a man with a global view, I have been following closely the current affairs of the world and of my country, India. Sometimes, I confess, I have been too much engrossed in the political news. There has been feeling and thought within me based not the news I have read concerning countries or political parties or politicians. Well, the Bible does tell me to pray for the ruler 

I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; On behalf of kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. (1 Timothy 2:1, 2)

The charge here is to pray on behalf of kings and all who are in high position, but not to follow them or their ideologies, not to support them nor oppose them, but simply to pray for them for the sake of God's economy. But once the news seeped into me, an innate feeling was developed that affects my views. Well, that may be natural, but of late, the Lord has chastised me to not be too much engrossed in the political affair of the world, except to watch and pray.

In fact, one of the recent trainings has warned me of Babylon in her two aspects, religious and material. The material Babylon is a devilish politics with its source in Satan. My response to such should be to come out of it. As I must pray for the Lord's move even through the world situation and the world rulers, I must definitely be not a part of it, which I tend to, at least psychologically.

Following the elections in India and the USA, I realized that it only brings death and darkness. I should rather simply know the world situation and bring them to the Lord in prayer without following them or supporting anyone or any party. As far as I experience this matter, whenever a political subject is raised among the saints, it definitely leads them to the soul and ends up in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which issues in death, darkness, division, and destruction. I thought I knew how to discern political matters based on my shallow and little knowledge of the word of God, but the Lord proved me wrong. And I am glad He did it, and that's how I learned. I have learned my lesson the hard way. The Lord is the sovereign One. He knows who to let go and who to bring in, who to lift up and who to let down. He knows the best! I dare not be loose in the matter of supporting or airing my political views anymore. I discovered that the saints too who are engrossed in politics ended up in darkness and division. Politics divide, prayer unites! So I must just be doing nothing other than pray for the Lord's move. Praise the Lord for this precious lesson!

Last Saturday in the church prayer meeting here, the burden of the prayer and the ministry portion was very apt. I was so enlightened by the Lord's speaking through the church:

The history of the world throughout the past twenty centuries shows that actually there is an invisible Ruler above the scene…This invisible Ruler above the scene is actually ruling over the entire earth. Who was ruling over the earth during the period of the Roman Empire? Jesus Christ. This ascended Christ was ruling over all the Caesars and later over Napoleon and over all the rulers of the earth. Today He still is the Ruler of the kings of the earth. All the presidents, kings, and prime ministers are under this unique Ruler. He is executing His government through the church, His Body. His ruling is not merely behind the scene but above the scene. The worldly people and even the worldly historians do not realize this. Their eyes are only on the world rulers and the world political situation. They do not have the spiritual view to see that the world situation is under the Head with His Body. The church should not be involved with any politics, but the church as the Body of the Head is used by the Head to carry out His heavenly ministry on this earth. The direction of the situation of the world today depends upon how the genuine church, the proper church, is proceeding on this earth. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 3, “God’s New Testament Economy,” pp. 200-201)

In fact, the church is above world politics and has an immense authority to execute what the Lord has decided from the throne. The genuine and proper church can definitely influence the Lord's move on the earth and can bring in the Lord's kingdom on the earth. Therefore, instead of being carried away by the world situation, prayer must be offered for the Lord's move through the world situation. 

I have learned my lesson and decided not to even psychologically be entangled in politics as I have never physically involved in any politics. My responsibility is to discern the Lord's move through the world situation and pray in oneness with the will of the Lord for the Lord's desire to be fulfilled. What salvation indeed is to have learned this truth!

No politics! Politics divides, prayer unites!