I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men:
Nebuchadnezzar was compelled to eat grass with the beasts of the field for seven years in order to learn the lesson that "The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men"  (Daniel 4:25); and it is feared that many today are in need of learning the same lesson.  Christian prayers are therefore a means of putting into God's hands an instrument for overruling the affairs of human kingdoms for the benefit of God's children.