WATCHWORD:
Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge Your people rightly, be honorable to Your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. Psalm 72:1-4, 6. The Message
The first thing I want You to do is pray. Pray every way You know how, for everyone You know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.1 Timothy 2:1-3 The Message
7 O Lord my God, now You have made me the king instead of my father David, but I am as a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 8 And here I am among Your own chosen people, a nation so great that there are almost too many people to count! 9 Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. For who by himself is able to carry such a heavy responsibility?” 1 Kings 3:7-9
Meditation:
Integrity
In a recent Our Daily Bread devotional, Sheridan Voysey reminded us that since 2022 there have been three Prime Ministers in the United Kingdom: Boris Johnson for 3 years, Liz Truss for one month, and the current PM, Rishi Sunak. Voysey said the shuffling of PMs seemed to be a result of discussions during a parliamentary prayer breakfast where people expressed their conviction about the need for integrity in public life. What an amazing and appropriate reaction.
Sometimes it takes those in positions of political power to stand up and demand integrity. Doing the right thing is crucial to the welfare of the country and affectedness of those elected to those positions by the public. For England, it was a remarkable moment which Voysey believes originated from a peaceful prayer meeting.
We find references to this very thing, the power of prayer, in first Timothy chapter 2 and in Psalm 72. While these instances are referring to a ruler’s job description, the same applies to a democracy and the system of elected leadership.
Looking for something of the Lord’s doing? There’s a good example in first kings, where Solomon made a request to God upon taking the throne. He asked for wisdom. God told him in a dream that he could ask for whatever he wished. He asked for a discerning heart so that he could govern the people and clearly make the distinction between right and wrong.
Oh, to have leaders as wise as Solomon! Wishful thinking? No, prayerful thinking, which is what Paul was advising Timothy. Pray every way You know how. Maybe we need more instructional prayer breakfasts, with the leadership of our country gathered to consider what the Lord would have us do. Some might call that just another way of wishful thinking, but I happen to believe that our God is powerful, far beyond where our imaginations can take us.
Sometimes I wonder if we get discouraged and think the magnitude of the evil that seems to surround us is too great for something that simple prayers can handle. When did we backslide to ‘idle’ worship, to keeping our heads down, and keeping silent. What did that get us? We know the answer to that one; it got us nowhere, absolutely nowhere. We need to be brave and courageous, just as God advised Joshua, and it would help if we were just little outspoken. Don’t you think? You, me and God, what a combination! Amen.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your people in the earth, for Your church and the significant role You have assigned to us. Lord, we’re a nation in need of healing — physically spiritually and in every imaginable way. We ask for Your mercy. Only in You do we have a future. We pray that You’ll stir the hearts of Your people to begin to pray, and cry out to You, and yield ourselves to You as we never have before. Help us walk toward You Father, with an even greater earnestness. Let the fear of the Lord grow in our hearts. Strengthen those who are serving on our behalf, and silence those who would cause confusion. You’re a God who heals, restores, delivers, and renews, and we ask You to look upon us today in grace and mercy. In Jesus name, Amen.
