How to Pray for a Dictator - Mark Witte
“44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:44-45a
In the world, there are many wicked dictators. They wield great power over their people and often wage war on their neighbors. Many are antichrists who persecute the church without ceasing.
Several years ago, a Venezuelan refugee attend my church in Toledo, Spain. This man had been a lessor magistrate in his country. As a believer, however, he could not support the totalitarian policies of Nicholas Maduro. For his activism asan opposition politician, he was actively persecuted by the regime. He was jailed without a trial and falsely accused of a crime. In God´s providence, a clerical error led to his temporary release from jail, which he used to flee the country with his family. My friend joined the nearly 7 million refugees who have fled to escape the dictatorships of Maduro and Chavez. He, like many others are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who continue to pray daily for Venezuela.
In 2014, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, and in February of this year, he brutally expanded thewar against Ukraine. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died. Over 7 million people fled to Europe as refugees. At least 2 evangelical seminaries have been destroyed, with the president of one being murdered in the streets by the invaders. Nearly 20% of the Baptist Union churches have been lost or destroyed. Over 7 million refugees fled Ukraine for safety in Europe, with over 150 arriving in Toledo. About 50 of these refugees have attended my church or have been helped by it. Many are believers, and they too, pray for Ukraine and their loved ones every day.
It is easy to pray for loved ones or your homeland, but how do you pray for a brutal dictator? How do you pray for one who frees violent prisoners who are willing to fight in the war, and then looks the other way as they rape, torture and murder innocent civilians? What do you pray for when up to half of your congregation are refugees who have fled from such regimes?
In Mathew 5:44-45a, Jesus said: “44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” These are hard words, even if you are not on the receiving end of persecution. They are even harder when your enemies are killing civilians indiscriminately. How do you pray for the dictators who order such evil?
Peter exhorts us to “Be subject for the Lord´s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those to who do evil and to praise those who do good,” (I Peter 2:13-14). When Peter wrote these divinely inspired words, he was a subject of Nero, a brutal Roman dictator. Even though Nero was very wicked and unjust, God ordered believers to be subject to his authority. In Romans 13:1 we are given the same command. Later, in I Timothy 2:1-1, we are exhorted to pray for the kings and rulers in the world. We must pray for them and be subject to them, even the bad ones.
Many refugees, including non-believers, pray for justice and for judgement against the dictators of the world. Believers often pray imprecatory Psalms, calling for judgement against the wicked and crying out “May his days be few, may another take his office!” (Psalm 109:8)
Biblically, this is a valid prayer. As long as you are not praying for anarchy, and willing to accept God´s ultimate will,then it is legitimate to pray for divine judgment and for God toremove an ungodly dictator.
Another option, however, is to pray for their salvation. If God would change Putin´s heart and save him, then with repentance for his sins, the war against Ukraine would probably end immediately. Paul preached the Gospel to King Agrippa and to many in the house of Caesar. He greatly desired their salvation (Acts 26:28-29). Paul knew that if God could save such a sinner as himself, then He could also save evil dictators and kings. With God, all thing are possible! (Mark 10:27)
In light of these examples, perhaps the best way to pray for an evil dictator is pray for both. That is, to pray that God would cut the heart of these dictators and bring them to repentance and to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If, however, it isthe will of God that such people are like Pharoah and are “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” (Romans 9:22), then we should pray that God would judge them for their sins and that God would be glorified in the removal of a wicked dictator.
In the first few Sundays after the expansion of the war in Ukraine, many people, especially newly arrived refugees,were surprised that I would pray for the salvation of Putin. They were much happier to hear the second half of my prayer calling for his judgment.
In the end, though we cry with those who are suffering, and long for justice, we do not lose hope, for we know that All authority has been given to Christ Jesus. He is seated on His throne, and one day soon, will return in glory to save His people and to judge the wicked.
The great Egyptian empire which enslaved Israel no longer exists. The Babylonian, Greek and Roman empires have all collapsed and are only found in the history books. The same with the Soviet Union. The wall fell and the empire collapsed. Likewise, if Putin and Russia don´t repent of their sins, then sooner or later, they will meet the same judgement as all the others.
How then should we pray for a dictator? We ought to pray as Christ taught us to pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9). We pray that God would be glorified. That God would be glorified if He saves the dictator, or that He would be glorified through the judgement of the wicked. With that prayer, and our eyes fixed on Christ, with confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, we await our heavenly homecoming and the glorious the return of the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.