Prayer and Salvation

Paul’s gospel was summarized in the brief but memorable phrase “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” It was the goal of Christ, the proclamation of which became the goal of Paul, who passed the torch to Timothy. As we open chapter 2, then, we would be right to expect something about evangelism, especially as Paul begins by stating “First of all, I urge you…” Instead, what we get is a somewhat unexpected call to prayer. And prayer for what might be the most unlikely of people. What are we to make of this call to pray for kings and prominent people, and how does it shape our evangelism?