A Prayer for Our Leader...

72 
Give the king your justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

5 May they fear you[a] while the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
    like showers that water the earth!
7 In his days may the righteous flourish,
    and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
    and from the River[b] to the ends of the earth!
9 May desert tribes bow down before him,
    and his enemies lick the dust!
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
    render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 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 the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
    like the grass of the field!
17 May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
    all nations call him blessed!

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
    may the whole earth be filled with his glory!Amen and Amen!

This is Solomon's prayer for himself.  That may sound self-centered, but it is not at all selfish.  We need our leaders to pray for themselves as they lead, and we need to pray similar prayer for them. First, that they will lead with justice and protect from oppressors.  That is often the hardest thing to do - to disern which is which, and how to deal with them.  Second, he asks for the Fear of the Lord to weigh heavy upon his heart. In a sense, this comes first: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the only way leaders and people will have true peace is if they live life before God.  Third, he asks for international impact. That was always God's intention for His people - to be a blessing to others far and wide, to draw all peoples toward Himself.  It is recognizing that we are not the big deal: God is the big deal.  Fourth, he asks that he may be blessed. It is not for himself that he wants long life and health, and physical and financial blessing, but for the sake of the nation.  When God blesses the King, president, or other leaders, it is to be shared among the people. Finally, he asks that God will keep before him the bottom line - the glory of God.  It is from God, to God, and for God that all things are to be done. May we pray thus for our president and all the leaders of the land, and may they pray this for themselves as well. 

Make this our Motto!

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,    for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
What a way to begin a song!  The psalmist goes on to constrast the LORD God with all false gods and idols.  He is sovereign; they are senseless and lifeless. He then exhorts God's people to fully trust in God and receive His blessings, the blessings of faith.  But it all begins here: "In God we trust," but also: "To God be the Glory." The two must go together.  We can trust Him, and give Him the glory because of Who He is and what He is like: faithful and acting out of love for us. May we go through this day, and this life trusting Him and sincerely wanting Him to have the glory!

WIllingly, with a whole heart

I Chronicles 29
6 Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work.7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000  darics[d] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron.8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of  Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.6 Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work.7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000  darics[d] of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron.8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of  Jehiel the Gershonite.9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a  whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
Responding to God. How do we do it? How can you appropriately react/respond to the awesome Creator, Who calls you, provides for and protects you, and continues to care for you?  Verbal rejoicing is one way. Giving is another.  Making a commitment to continue to know Him more is yet another. What really hit home in this act of worship is that they knew they were doing it willingly, with a whole heart. Nothing beats that.  So many of our acts of "Worship" we know to be half-hearted at best.  We get up and "go to church" because we HAVE to, because others are watching.  We mouth the words, lift up our hands, and stand because it is "Expected." We even drop a twenty in the plate to "pay our way." Today, in whatever we do in response to God, may it be willinglyh a whole heart of worship toward HIM. 

May your cattle be heavy...

144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples[a] under me.

3 O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
    his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
    Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    send out your arrows and rout them!
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
    rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, O God;
    upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
    who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth
    be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
13 may our granaries be full,
    providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;[b]
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!    Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

David was blessed and he knew it. God had protected him, given him victories, and really demonstrated to him over and over again that God conerns himself with the affairs of men.  But David wanted what we often avoid: he wanted to share. He wanted God to bless others too. So after a the second chorus of personal request for God to continue to deliver him, he goes on and asks God to bless all of his people, their homes, and even their houses and lands.  Blessings: God gives them. We have them. And sometimes we even thank Him for them!  But have we asked Him to truly bless others around us too?  May your cattle be heavy!

Wake up, everyone!!! Especially me!

PSALM 108

My heart is steadfast, O God!
    I will sing and make melody with all my being![a]
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!    Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 That your beloved ones may be delivered,    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

David not only preached to the choir; he preached to the instruments! But he especially preached to himself.  God's faithful lovingkindness is NOT to be forgotten.  It is to be remembered every day at the beginning of the day. It is everywhere, as far as we can see.  So we need to make it known everywhere, as far as it can be heard.  We need deliverance and salvation, and there is a whole world out there that needs to hear about it!  So wake up!  Start the day!  Seize the day!  Sing Today!