May [the king]
defend the cause of the poor …,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
Psalm 72:4
In my Bible, the heading for this Psalm is: Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King.
Every generation in every nation needs to pray this! We need to pray that our kings (presidents, chancellors, and prime ministers) will 1) seek the “guidance” of God and 2) will (perhaps as a result) be “support[ed]” by God.
Each era needs to pray that their governors will “2 judge … with righteousness,” promote an “16 abundance of grain,” and have “7 peace abound” in their time.
This Psalm, prayed in godliness by King David and/or King Solomon, is a leader’s request for blessing on their reign.
And while we should all pray that our own rulers are blessed by this same godly favor; we should pray even more that our own rulers are praying this prayer for themselves!
The alternative to a governor’s reliance upon God is pride. They reason that their own skills got them elected; therefore, shouldn’t they rely on themselves to govern?
But think about this: Is a “good” king sometimes “helped” by favorable weather, fruitful fields, and prosperous mountains? (see verses 3 and 16) Of course!
Consequently, aren’t rulers often judged as inept when the economy crashes … even though many economic crises are caused by what the insurance companies call, “acts of God” – earthquakes, famines, floods, etc.
So the question is this: If God generally controls the seasons, how much of the success of a king’s rule is tied to God’s provision. Conversely, how much of a king’s infamy is caused by God’s judgment?
In the Bible, for example, God used natural disasters, enemy attacks, and economic woes as forms of judgment. How much of that happens now? Indeed, is every disaster a judgment … or is everything merely a coincidence?
Do you see the key word in that last statement? “Every.” (And “everything.”)
A few days ago, I teased you with a question: What if I could predict a major disaster?
Some people over-attribute every action to the spiritual realm – everything is being caused by God … or thwarted, perhaps, by spiritual warfare.
But I think the opposite is more often true. More moderns probably under-attribute events to the spiritual.
n Maybe I can’t predict tsunamis.
But that doesn’t mean that God is not active and that true prophecy isn’t really true.
n Maybe we do have free will and cause (and effect) a lot of our own messes … and victories.
But God causes things too. (Indeed, it’s always God’s prerogative to trump our prerogative. In fact, the prayer, “Thy will be done,” is my will submitting to God’s will, my “cause” trusting in his “effect.”)
n Much of this world is, indeed, cause-and-effect and coincidence. (For example, if I speed, I might get a ticket. And I can’t blame God. It’s my mistake; not God’s judgment.)
But with an active God, sometimes coincidences are more than coincidence! (Indeed, test this: The more that people pray, the more “coincidences” they tend to see!)
Today’s Psalm is a prayer. It’s man’s hope that a human king will defend the cause of the poor and give deliverance to the needy.
n Think about that: What are most people in most nations doing? We’re all hoping that our human kings in their prerogative – in their free will – will be just and wise.
n But read this petition again: What else is the Psalmist doing? Praying to God … that he will intervene. Praying that God’s prerogative will occasionally (if not frequently) trump an earthly ruler’s pride and prerogative! Praying that God will soften a king’s heart and guide a president’s path.
Our God is an active God … who gives us free will. Sometimes things are purely natural cause-and-effect and coincidence. But why do we pray? Well, when God gave us dominion over this world, he made us all lower-case kings. Prayer is giving authority back to God. It is inviting Him to be active in our lives and in this world.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who is not
a weatherman or a prophet
– no disasters this week
(but what would you
have done if I was right?!!!) --
nevertheless, a guy who prays to
and believes in an active God
(Come, Lord Jesus.)
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