Psalm 72: Praying for our leader(s)

Eek. Today’s reading reminded me that we are to pray for our leaders.

The Psalmist is praying for his King and the best correlation I can make here is that I should be praying for our President. When your leader is following the right path and guides a country to achieve the right goals, isn’t that a good thing?

The things prayed for the King in Psalm 72 would benefit any country.

Here’s the verse that grabbed me in Psalm 72 when I applied SOAP:

Scripture: Psalm 72:4

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the children of the needy,

and crush the oppressor!

Observation:

May our leader defend those that need defending, help those that need helping and destroy those that oppress others.

Application:

This is not meant to be a political statement. We are instructed to pray for all of our leaders, and our leaders-to-be. I have not been doing that.

I want out country to prosper in all the right ways. I want those who need help to get it. I want us to be a country that ends oppression. Whether you like who is elected or not, I hope you like our country (or whatever country you call home, to be honest) and hope for success in the right ways under our leaders’ direction.

Let’s stop throwing mud at our leaders. Let’s pray for their success in ending oppression and their success in helping those who need help.

Prayer:

Lord, you are gracious and kind and know the right path for all of the countries of the world.

Psalm 72 reminded me this morning to pray for my leaders. Please forgive me for not doing that in regularity.

Lord, please guide President Obama and his team, my country’s team, to defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor. Please, Lord, may his goals align with what is true and right, and guide him in leading us to the right policies and actions that you know we need. Let us be a country who cares for those who need it. Let us be a country that ends oppression. With you, that is possible.

Thank you, Lord, for so many liberties we have here in the US. Thank you for the policies that have been put into place to afford us those, and for those who defend those policies and fight against oppression, putting themselves on the line to defend freedom.

Please help the United States, and all countries, to prosper in the right ways. Help our leaders to see the right paths and guide them in following them.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen.