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First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayer, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered… For Kings
(1 Tim. 2:1–2 AMP)
When prayer is made for different nations of the world, it becomes apparent that there are different kinds of kings, presidents, or prime ministers. Some are Christians, others are at least upright and just, and still others are totally wicked. The Bible gives great examples of God utilizing these three kinds of kings for His plans, and that will help us as we pray for them.

The ‘David’ Kind of King
And when He had deposed him [Saul], He raised up David to be their king; of him He bore witness and said, I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart, who will do all my will and carry out my program fully... 36 For David, after he had served God's will and purpose and counsel in his own generation, fell asleep [in death] and was buried among his forefathers.
(Acts 13:22, 36 AMP)
David followed God with his whole heart and completely fulfilled the plan of God for his life. This did not occur by accident.

I have, on occasion, accidentally done the will of the Lord and found myself in the right place thinking, “How did I ever get here?” How wonderful it is when God guides you to the right place at the right time and you weren’t even aware of it! As wonderful and good as this is, you cannot live your whole life this way. The Bible teaches us to purposefully seek the Lord with our whole heart. This is what David did.

David followed after God’s heart consciously and he fulfilled God’s plan for his life completely. He is an example for us today of a Christian king.

First Timothy 2:2 instructs us not to merely pray for Christian kings and those who lead godly nations, like Israel’s King David. God wants us to literally follow His Word and pray for all kings, regardless of what nation they rule and whether or not they are Christians.

The ‘Cyrus’ Kind of King
Who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd (ruler), and he shall perform all My pleasure and fulfill all My purpose—even saying of Jerusalem, She shall [again] be built, and of the temple, Your foundation shall [again] be laid.
(Isa. 44:28 AMP)
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm and ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut. I will go before you and level the mountains [to make the crooked places straight]; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron. And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.
(Isa. 45:1–3 AMP)
God calls Cyrus “His anointed.” We are well acquainted with the fact that prophets are anointed and Israel’s kings were anointed, but this man was not Israel’s king. He was, nevertheless, anointed by God and given this assignment in fulfillment of prophecy.
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia [almost seventy years after the first Jewish captives were taken to Babylon], that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might begin to be accomplished, THE LORD STIRRED UP THE SPIRIT OF CYRUS KING OF PERSIA so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing: Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem; He is God.
(Ezra 1:1–3 AMP) 
Further in this passage, Cyrus commissioned animals to be given and the people of God were granted safe passage. He also gave vast riches to enable this work of the Lord to be accomplished (Ezra chapter 7).

Cyrus, for example, was king of a pagan nation, but God anointed him to do what no one else had the authority or the wealth to do! Only Cyrus could commission the Jews, who were subject to him, to go home to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

God anointed him and moved on him to make a decree and Cyrus did it! This is a most amazing thing. God has moved on people in churches and gotten little and sometimes no response, but He moved on this Persian king and got his full participation.

Cyrus’ kindness toward the Jews was surely not passed down from his parents. Cyrus was the king of the Medes and Persians and was the son of Cambyses the Persian, and of Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of the Medes. Both his father and grandfather had a blatant disregard for human life and were known for their barbarous treatment of people.

What was it that caused Cyrus to be so usable in God’s divine plans? Some historians refer to Zoroaster, a Persian prophet whose teachings of kindness and good against evil could have influenced Cyrus’ life. However, we do know for certain that 210 years before Cyrus was born, Isaiah prophesied about him by name (Isa. 44:28). Furthermore, Josephus the Jewish historian said that Cyrus read this prophecy concerning himself. As an actor follows his lines in a script, Cyrus “acted out” precisely what God said he would do, even though it was against normal policy.

Could God use a non-Jewish king of a pagan nation to fulfill His plan for His own people? Obviously He did! And with this precedent, we can be sure He has and will use a “Cyrus” type of king as required. Spirit-directed praying invokes divine intervention and influences so that this kind of king will respond when God stirs his heart with His assignments.

While Christians prayed Spirit-directed prayers as a part of dispensing the anointing, it was actually a leader in a position of authority whom God used to change the government. In order for the will of God to be done and for the Gospel to have access into that country, a road had to be opened which hadn’t existed previously. God anointed and used a president in making of that particular highway, and in doing so, fulfilled prophecies about that country.
 
Source: For Such A Time As This by Patsy Cameneti 
Excerpt permission granted by Blaze Publishing House

Author Biography

Patsy Cameneti
Web site: Cameneti Ministries
 
Patsy is compelled to help believers find their place in Christ. Her message, which often emphasizes prayer, is marked by a personal pursuit of God that has inspired many believers to also develop their own walk with God in a real and purposeful way.
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