Praise to the Lord the Almighty by Reawaken Hymns
Exploring the Text: A prayer for Solomon, our rulers, and the ultimate king
Psalm 72 is written as a prayer over Solomon as he is being anointed king. The psalmist prays that God will give Solomon his justice and righteousness, that he would rule with righteousness and office justice to the poor. He prays for prosperity for the country and that would defend the poor and the needy. He prays that the king will be like rain falling on newly mown grass that brings refreshing, life, and growth. He prays for righteousness to flourish and peace to abound.
This is a great prayer for a new king or leader. Wouldn’t we all want to live in a place like that? Just as this prayer was a great prayer over Solomon, it would be a great prayer for us to prayer over our leaders, city, state, and national. We often find it easier to criticize our leaders than to pray for them, but, prayer is a much better response than criticism. Maybe instead of criticizing we should start praying this prayer instead.
The ultimate answer to this prayer will not be found in any human leader though. The ultimate answer to this prayer will only come when Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom on the earth. So while we join with the ancient Israelites and pray this prayer over our leaders, we wait and hope with eager anticipation for its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 72 is written as a prayer over Solomon as he is being anointed king. The psalmist prays that God will give Solomon his justice and righteousness, that he would rule with righteousness and office justice to the poor. He prays for prosperity for the country and that would defend the poor and the needy. He prays that the king will be like rain falling on newly mown grass that brings refreshing, life, and growth. He prays for righteousness to flourish and peace to abound.
This is a great prayer for a new king or leader. Wouldn’t we all want to live in a place like that? Just as this prayer was a great prayer over Solomon, it would be a great prayer for us to prayer over our leaders, city, state, and national. We often find it easier to criticize our leaders than to pray for them, but, prayer is a much better response than criticism. Maybe instead of criticizing we should start praying this prayer instead.
The ultimate answer to this prayer will not be found in any human leader though. The ultimate answer to this prayer will only come when Jesus returns and sets up his kingdom on the earth. So while we join with the ancient Israelites and pray this prayer over our leaders, we wait and hope with eager anticipation for its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.