The Great Desire of God

Last week I began to introduce to your thinking, that among the duties that we are called to in the Church of Jesus Christ, that prayer is of the first importance. The guarding of sound doctrine must be done prayerfully. The preaching of the gospel must be done prayerfully. The establishment of godliness in the living of a quiet and peaceable life comes through our learning to pray for all men; and especially those in authority, who make either wise or unwise decisions which affect our lives. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; that you and I might pray, as believers in Jesus Christ, to live quiet and peaceable lives, and to cultivate reverence and godliness. But God would have us to pray for all men, as it says here in verse 1, because He desires (or He would have) all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This afternoon I would have us to consider the great desire of God, and to ask ourselves this question: If God’s desire is that all men be saved and come the knowledge of the truth, is it also my desire? And will you commit yourself to pray for the salvation of all kinds of people who may be very different from you, both culturally and socially? This is a duty of the first importance in God’s eyes.