Focus
Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.
Read
Psalm 72 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King
Of Solomon.
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
May his foes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
may they pronounce him happy.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
Reflect
What a beautiful prayer! Here we have David praying for Solomon, his son, to be able to reign justly. For long life and blessings. To be honest, the only prayer I remember my parents praying over me, was that I should have seven children just like me.
You know prayer is something I have struggled with. I never felt eloquent, or that my comprehension of the English language was adequate to pray, especially pray out loud! As a new Pastor, I have struggled with the ability to pray with my people. I have nagging thoughts in the back of my mind, things like, did that sound ok, did I pronounce that word correctly, did I use it in the right context?
What I have learned, is that to God it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if I have the eloquence of King David. What does matter is my heart and my intention. I may trip over my words; I may have to pause in the middle of a sentence and that is OK. What matters to God is that I am having a conversation with Him, that I invite Him into my day and share my moments. I share my joys, my excitements, my cares and concerns. So, pray! Pray often, pray long, pray without ceasing.
Pray
Awesome God, thank you for loving us right where we are. Thank you for hearing our prayers, even when we cannot find the words. Even when we trip over our tongues, even when we cannot pronounce it correctly. Thank you for wanting to hear my conversation. Thank you for letting me share my day with you, my moments with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Go with God!
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