Because of the words and actions of this current President and members of his administration I’m hearing more and more people pray for his removal.
Over the years in my teaching on prayer I have emphasized that we should be open with God when we pray and tell Him how we really feel. I even preached a sermon titled Stop Faking It. So I decided to look at what the Bible says about removing wicked leaders if we feel that their actions are ungodly and against the teachings of Christ.
Here's what I found.
We are to pray for all leaders while they are in positions of authority
Romans 13:1-5 NLT Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
However We Are Not Prohibited From Praying For The Removal Of Wicked Leaders
I have learned through prayer, and scripture that we are also to pray for the removal of leaders and authorities who are working against God’s will for His people.
Proverbs 25:5 MSG Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring.
We as believers are accountable when we see evil and we are to speak out against it.
Proverbs 24:24-25MSG Whoever whitewashes the wicked gets a black mark in the history books, But whoever exposes the wicked will be thanked and rewarded.
Psalm 94:16 NLT Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
Isaiah 5:20 NLT What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Ephesians 5:11-14 NLT Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
Matthew 18:15-17 NLT “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
Over the years in my teaching on prayer I have emphasized that we should be open with God when we pray and tell Him how we really feel. I even preached a sermon titled Stop Faking It. So I decided to look at what the Bible says about removing wicked leaders if we feel that their actions are ungodly and against the teachings of Christ.
Here's what I found.
We are to pray for all leaders while they are in positions of authority
Romans 13:1-5 NLT Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
However We Are Not Prohibited From Praying For The Removal Of Wicked Leaders
I have learned through prayer, and scripture that we are also to pray for the removal of leaders and authorities who are working against God’s will for His people.
Proverbs 25:5 MSG Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring.
We as believers are accountable when we see evil and we are to speak out against it.
Proverbs 24:24-25MSG Whoever whitewashes the wicked gets a black mark in the history books, But whoever exposes the wicked will be thanked and rewarded.
Psalm 94:16 NLT Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
Isaiah 5:20 NLT What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Ephesians 5:11-14 NLT Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
Matthew 18:15-17 NLT “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
So How Do I Pray For Removal Of Wicked Leaders?
As you read through the Psalms you will find that many of them call for judgement on those the psalmist considered enemies. Those who persecuted them and others. At first blush you think how can a God who is love do the kinds of things the writers are asking Him to do? Why are these things even in the Bible?
Here are just two examples;
Psalm 109:6-15 NLT They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial. When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins. Let his years be few; let someone else take his position. May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow. May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes. May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned. Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children. May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in a single generation. May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record. May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.
Psalm 137:7-9 NLT O LORD, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies
of Babylon captured Jerusalem. “Destroy it!” they yelled. “Level it to the ground!” O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!
Psalm 58 is an expression of dissatisfaction of national leadership
Psalm 58:1-11 NLT Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be. Break the teeth in their mouths, O God; Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions! Let them vanish like water that flows away; when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short. May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along, like a stillborn child that never sees the sun. Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns— whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away. The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then people will say, “Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
This Psalm presents a pretty vivid picture of what’s happening in the United States today.
Psalms like these are called “imprecatory Psalms.” They are Psalms which ask God to curse, destroy, or remove an enemy of the writer. They are pleas for vengeance, justice, and equity for those unable to defend themselves.
While these are pleas for vengeance, justice, and equity the one praying doesn’t then go out and carry it out themselves. The Psalmist is expressing himself to God in need. He is saying, “God things are so bad here right now because of this, will you enact vengeance upon them because of their wickedness.” In praying this way the outcome is left to God. The prayer entrusts the answer to God. This doesn’t mean God will answer at that moment. What it means is that the responsibility of setting things straight is put into the hands of the rightful authority, God.
When the psalmist prayed for God to shatter the teeth of his enemies, or even their his death, he was making the point that God is holy, righteous, and just, and He will ultimately judge the wicked for the evil they do. In praying this way we are giving up our idea of how to handle our enemies and are relying on and trusting God to protect us. As Christians we know that it is unlikely that God will "shatter to teeth of or enemies or that He will cause bad things to happen to them or their families. But because we know that God is good and hates evil, that His will is for good and love. Our imprecatory prayer then is that His will be done. We trust the judgement to God, knowing what He says is the end result of evil and those who do it.
In other words, tell God how you really feel. If you want Him to remove 45 tell Him. He will not judge you for telling Him how you feel.
After much prayer and research, I’ve concluded that Christians can, and in fact, should pray for the removal of wicked leaders from positions of authority. We should pray that God will make them powerless, remove them from office, and prevent them from gaining access to power, and positions of authority.
We can still honor Jesus' command to pray for our enemies and those we disagree with, and for their salvation,
Matthew 5:43-44 NLT “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Proverbs 25:5 MSG Remove impurities from the silver and the silversmith can craft a fine chalice; Remove the wicked from leadership and authority will be credible and God-honoring.
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