Blessed
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive me when I behave like I am the center of the universe. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Read Psalm 72:1-20
[1]Of Solomon. Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. [2] May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. [3] May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. [4] May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. [5] May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. [6] May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. [7] In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more. [8] May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. [9] May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. [10] May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. [11] May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. [12] For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. [13] He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. [14] He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. [15] Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. [16] May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field. [17] May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. [18] Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. [19] Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. [20] This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Having read the psalm, what words best describe our God?Do you know what the most powerful people in the world look like? Recently, I bought a great book of photographs of world leaders. It’s fascinating to look these people in the eye and try to read what’s beneath the surface. Unfortunately, as the photos were taken at a meeting of the United Nations, some of the more autocratic leaders are not there–and those are the ones I’d like to see. Here in Psalm 72 we are given the image of a powerful leader. As Christians we tend to read Old Testament passages like these with the filter of Jesus before our eyes. After all, he is the “Heir of all things…the radiance of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:2, 3), and the description in this psalm seems to suit him so well. What did it mean in around 1000 BC when it was written? It was possibly a prayer for Solomon who, although a man of considerable wisdom (1 Kings 10:23,24), had some major blind spots, too (1 Kings 11:1-13). All the more reason, then, to pray for God-like government (12-14) “at all times” (15, GNB). Do we pray as enthusiastically for our leaders today?
Apply
Pick one verse from the psalm to meditate on and learn. Chew on it like candy, as you pray for our national leaders.
Closing prayer
Mighty God, Your righteous acts cause me to flourish. All glory and honor to You, my Lord and my God!
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