Called to pray: In Parliament, in prison and in war

Have you been praying for the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently?

Actually maybe you have, given the Trump self-declared “12 day” war between Israel and Iran. I pray that by the time this article reaches you the conflict in the Middle East will have not escalated into a full-blown global war.

If you were a Christian prisoner in the recently bombed Evin Prison in Iran (do pray for them!) and recalling passages in the Bible of letters by Paul to the persecuted early church, you would indeed obediently be praying for Ayatollah Khamenei as Timothy was urged to pray for Emperor Nero – both tyrants who persecuted Christians. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2v1-4).

The National Prayer Breakfast last month gave a far easier and more comfortable place than Evin Prison to pray for our leaders, as we ate breakfast with around 150 MPs, listening to the winsome apologetics of Professor John Lennox and worship music led by the Gettys. However, the prayers were tinged with sorrow as we privately lamented the recent votes aided by some of those same MPs to decriminalise abortion and legalise assisted dying.

I recall my time in Parliament when we faced significant issues of life and death, and it felt as much a spiritual battle; which is not surprising as we contend for issues central to God’s created order. At these times we need to particularly pray for Christian MPs to put on the full armour of God (Eph.6), like Labour MPs Rachael Maskell and David Smith and Conservative MPs Danny Kruger and Rebecca Smith who have bravely stood up for the sanctity of life. It’s a tough and lonely place, particularly as a new MP having to nail your Christian colours to the mast. Actually John Lennox made the point in his address that everyone has a faith – whether religious or non-religious – making it nonsensical and pernicious of Dame Esther Rantsen to challenge MPs with religious-based viewpoints to declare an interest before speaking in the assisted dying bill debate. It led to the perverse situation of atheist MPs proudly declaring their non-religious beliefs to infer that they had a more objective view than those with religious beliefs.

It is extraordinary that after an historic Labour victory with a massive majority the Prime Minister appears vulnerable, with even mutterings about how long he can last. Sir Keir Starmer may have been cautious about attending the National Prayer Breakfast given its recent history of beginning the downfall of Boris Johnson as PM. I unwittingly played my part in 2022 by inviting my old uni friend Sajid Javid, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to the event. He came and was in a thoughtful mood as he listened carefully to the Revd Les Isaacs speaking about Christ-shaped servant-hearted leadership. Soon after I got a call from Saj’s office asking for a copy of Les Isaac’s speech, which later in the day formed the basis of Saj’s resignation from Cabinet speech and the first domino to fall leading to the resignation of Boris as PM.

Another outcome of the National Prayer Breakfast was the impact of it not actually happening last year, due to the General Election, which led to a number of Christians and organisations coming together to launch the National Week of Prayer (NWoP) and over 20,000 people get involved. This year it’s fixed for 6 –14 September and is encouraging Christians across the UK to host prayer events during this week, and build upon signs of spiritual renewal in the face of the uncertain times in which we live.

The event has drawn inspiration from the resilience shown during the Second World War, particularly the miraculous evacuation at Dunkirk, when in the midst of World War II, King George VI called for a National Day of Prayer. With the British army trapped at Dunkirk and facing annihilation, millions flocked to churches, forming a quarter-mile queue at Westminster Abbey. This unprecedented gathering of faith and hope contributed to the miraculous evacuation of 335,000 soldiers, often referred to as “The Miracle of Dunkirk”.

Please find more details here – www. nationalweekofprayer.uk and also check out Bear Grylls promoting the NWoP and calling us to pray for our nation!

● Christian MPs and political figures contribute as believers not party politicians. en does not endorse any one particular party.