Psalm 72:1 “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.”
Do you like and approve of everything that is going on in Washington, D.C., right now? What are you to do about it? My wife and I have had this conversation at various occasions over the years, and it is a good question to consider today. If your particular political party doesn’t have enough votes, you may feel powerless. You could petition or protest, but anything that you are going to do must start in Psalm 72.
According to the last verse of the psalm, Psalm 72 is a prayer: “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” David was asking for the king to “judge thy people with righteousness.” (verse 2) In fact, the next several verses are full of requests from David about the king. In America, we can do a lot of things that most people throughout history could not. For example, a king is not elected. Most people who have been born were under a king, dictator, sovereign, or ruler. For anything to change, the king had to change.
It is good to be reminded that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:1) Some people will protest and some people will petition; but most people forget the most important “P”: prayer! The way to change anything is to start from the top down-that is, go to God first.
I Timothy 2:1-2 exhorts us that “first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” How are we to pray for “all men,” including our President? (Do you even pray for our President?) This verse and our psalm this morning gives us plenty to start with!
Did you know that this prayer (Psalm 72) was answered? David had a son named Solomon, who was the wisest man to ever live. Why did Solomon ask God for wisdom? Apparently, it was a priority in his house! His father, David, prayed for it and passed on the priority to him.
God’s power is not diminished by who has been voted, elected, or appointed to power. The King who finds the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 72 both judges and helps the needy, saves and gives peace; that King is the Lord Jesus. Kingdoms come and go; political parties come and go; but our God reigns, and His power is not diminished by a country or group of countries.
We ought to pray the prayer of Psalm 72 every day for ourselves, our President, and our other leaders. No matter what you may do to be politically involved in your country, don’t forget to consult God on the matter.
“Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.”
Prayer Requests:
1. Revival services this weekend in Clermont, FL and Bradenton, FL (Bill Rice III and team)
2. Praise the Lord for safe travel and folks saved during the Philippines trip!