Pray urgently for new PM

It was a sermon, of all things, that triggered the recent leadership election for a new Prime Minister.

At the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, the Revd Les Isaac, who set up Street Pastors, spoke about integrity and the common good. In the audience was the soon-to-be-former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the then Health Secretary, Sajid Javid. In launching his leadership bid, Mr Javid said it was listening to Isaac that convinced him he had to resign, helping trigger the downfall of Boris Johnson. If nothing else, surely, it’s a reminder of the power of preaching!

So, for the second time in just three years, we find ourselves watching a new Prime Minister come into the role. Perhaps some of us will mourn the end of the Johnson premiership, although I suspect many more of us will be relieved. It is more instability for the nation at a time when there are such huge challenges to be grappled with. In communities across the UK, with winter coming, some will be forced to choose between eating or heating. There’s the ongoing war in Europe. There’s huge instability in global markets. China is threatening both Taiwan and Hong Kong. Electricity and gas prices have surged and will continue to do so.

In His wisdom, God instituted governments to prevent the spread of evil and to promote what is good. They are a gift of His grace to all humans. This is a foundational conviction for me and many of you. Despite all that’s happened in recent months and years, it’s vital that we do not despise or give up on politics. For many of us, that might be easier said than done. All the parties, or ‘work events’. All the allegations and convictions of sleaze. All the rumours, gossiping and betrayals. The constant churn of these stories can make us shake our heads in disgust and dismiss politics all together. I wonder if we do this because we become so fixated on personalities and charisma? It can be the same in church circles.

But at its simplest, politics is about good governance. It’s about elected representatives coming together, discussing, and debating the laws that will impact on all our lives. Although it’s summer recess at Westminster and Holyrood, there’s key legislation that will be scrutinised in the coming months. There’s the Online Safety Bill, which could finally protect under-18s from stumbling across online porn. There’s the Schools’ Bill, which could require homeschooling parents to register. The point is that these laws will have real-life impacts on our lives.

Even if I feel cynical or full of despair, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a powerful person and the decisions made by that person touch our lives. So, we should be prayerfully invested in what happens. Our most basic and urgent prayer is that we’re given leaders of God’s grace and not the ones we deserve. That also means praying God will give us leaders who, even if they’re not born-again believers in the Lord Jesus, do have integrity and character. Leaders who care about the needs of vulnerable people and groups. Leaders who recognise that no one but Christ is born to rule.

After the rollercoaster of the last few years, our national politics could do with a season of calm. One of the ways that will happen is with a servant-hearted leader who will focus on serving others, rather than themselves.