How to Pray for Your Leaders (Even the Ones You Don’t Like)

We live in a deeply divided time. Nearly everything—policy, personality, even prayer—can feel political. In a climate like this, Christians are often pressured to choose sides, to speak out in alignment with one group, and to treat leaders as either allies or enemies.

But Scripture calls us to something higher. Some believers may indeed be called into public service, even partisan politics, and that can be both honorable and necessary. But for all who follow Christ, our primary identity is not political but spiritual. We are citizens of a greater Kingdom. And while the gospel certainly speaks to public life, our loyalty to Jesus must shape how we engage, and how we pray.

That means we don’t just pray for leaders we admire. We pray for all who hold authority because God commands it (1 Timothy 2:1–2), and because He remains sovereign over them all (Daniel 2:21). That’s not political weakness or resignation, far from it. That’s spiritual obedience and the ultimate form of political activism..

So how do we pray for our leaders, especially when we struggle to respect them, or grieve over their leadership?

Jesus Taught Us to Honor Earthly Authority

When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a loaded political question—“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”, He didn’t sidestep it. He reframed it. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” He said, “and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). In one sentence, Jesus affirmed the legitimacy of earthly government, but also the supremacy of divine authority.

Jesus didn’t just speak those words; He lived them. He paid the tax (Matthew 17:27). He submitted to unjust rulers, even to the point of crucifixion. And when He stood silent before Pilate, it wasn’t because Pilate had power, but because Jesus knew: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).

That reshapes how we view political power. However flawed the system or person, all authority is on loan. And those who follow Jesus are called to honor that structure, even when they lament who occupies it.

The Apostles Taught the Same—and Called Us to Pray

The early church followed this pattern. Paul wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God” (Romans 13:1). He didn’t write those words under a godly king or benevolent system, but under Rome. A pagan empire. A violent regime. A government that would eventually kill him.

Yet Paul still urged believers to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:1–2), so that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” These prayers weren’t based on a leader’s moral fitness, but on God’s command and the believer’s witness.

Peter echoed the same principle: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17). Not because the emperor was honorable, but because God is.

In the end, our prayers for leaders aren’t rooted in how much we approve of them. They’re rooted in how much we trust the One who reigns above them. We pray not because they deserve it, but because He does.

How to Pray for Leaders in a Broken World

You don’t have to pretend your leaders are good in order to pray for them. Scripture gives us better prayers than flattery, and more faithful ones than rage.

Pray for Their Regeneration

The deepest need of every human leader is the same as yours and mine: to be born again. To know the mercy of Christ. To be transformed by grace. To bow not to polls, power, or pride, but to Jesus as Lord.

And God can do it. He has done it.

Think of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was humbled and then restored to declare that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:17, 34–37). Think of Manasseh, the notoriously wicked king of Judah, who after being taken captive by the Assyrians “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,” prayed, and was restored—going on to remove idols and rebuild the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 33:12–16). Think of Constantine, who claimed to embrace Christ and marked the end of Roman persecution. Think of countless lesser-known rulers throughout history who, under conviction of the gospel, turned from pride to humility and began to seek justice, mercy, and peace.

So we pray: Lord, awaken their hearts. Save their souls. Turn them to You.

Pray for Their Repentance

Not every leader who names Christ walks in His ways. Not every baptized official governs righteously. So we pray for their sanctification, that they would walk not by self-interest or human wisdom, but with a growing fear of the Lord.

Psalm 2 tells rulers to “serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (v.11). Romans 13 calls them “God’s servant for your good” (v.4). That’s not just an ideal. It’s a call to real repentance, for pride, injustice, cruelty, compromise, and foolishness.

History offers a striking example: when Emperor Theodosius authorized a brutal massacre in Thessalonica, Bishop Ambrose of Milan refused to celebrate communion in his presence. He called the emperor to public repentance, and Theodosius listened. He wept, confessed, and performed penance before reentering worship. A ruler rebuked. A bishop bold. A God who brings kings low to raise them up in humility and grace.

So we pray: Lord, renew their minds. Correct their course. Let them hunger for righteousness and justice.

Pray for Their Renewal

Leadership is lonely. Hard. Relentless. Even good leaders grow weary.

Paul didn’t just pray for the salvation of kings. He prayed that all of us might live “peaceful and quiet lives,” and that includes leaders. David prayed, “Give the king your justice, O God... May he judge your people with righteousness” (Psalm 72:1–2).

Even in flawed leaders, we may pray for a glimmer of courage to remain. For good decisions, made with clarity and integrity. For right choices to be encouraged and rewarded.

So we pray: Lord, sustain what is good. Encourage what is just. Help them not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9).

Pray for Their Restraint

Sometimes, leaders do not seek the Lord. Sometimes they promote evil, not good. They lie, abuse power, or exploit the vulnerable. They harden their hearts.

Even then, our prayers do not stop. We pray for restraint: that God, in His sovereign mercy, would hold them back from doing further harm.

Psalm 33:10 says, “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.” We see this in how God restrained Pharaoh (Exodus 10:1), frustrated Saul (1 Samuel 19:23–24), and turned evil plans on their heads (Esther 6:1–11).

So we pray: Lord, if they will not yet turn, then restrain their foolishness. Frustrate what is evil. Protect the vulnerable.

Pray for God to Replace Them (with Better)

There may come a time—grievous, sobering, and not without cost—when a leader’s corruption, cruelty, or persistent defiance of what is right becomes so entrenched that we no longer know how to pray except to entrust both that leader and the people they govern into God's hands. In moments like these, Scripture does not teach us to seek vengeance, but to rest in the justice and wisdom of God.

The Bible is clear: God not only appoints leaders; He replaces them. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21). “When the wicked rule, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2). Throughout history, God has at times brought down tyrants and oppressors—and raised up those who would lead with greater humility, righteousness, and care for the people under their charge.

But this kind of prayer must never be vindictive. It must not be shaped by political zeal or personal bitterness. It should come with trembling lips and a longing for justice—not just a change in power, but a change that reflects the mercy, truth, and holiness of God.

So we pray: Lord, if this leader will not turn, and if You in Your mercy see fit, then raise up better. Give us leaders who fear You, love justice, and protect the vulnerable. And let Your will—not ours—be done.

Conclusion: The Courage to Pray

It is easy to rage. Easy to mock. Easy to withdraw in despair. It takes Christlike courage to intercede.

We are prayerful, not powerless. We are hopeful without being naive. And we are not alone, even when the political landscape seems especially dark. Our King lives, reigns, and hears.

So let’s pray, not just when we approve of our leaders, but precisely when we don’t. Not just when it’s easy, but when it’s necessary. Let’s entrust our leaders to the Lord, and let our witness shine as those who honor the King above all kings.

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
He turns it wherever He will.” —Proverbs 21

And remember: no matter who rules the nations for a time, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, on earth and in heaven. He will reign with perfect justice. That’s why we pray, and why we never pray in vain.