Psalm 72:1-20

We are called to pray for many things in the Scripture.  The Bible tells us to pray for the governing authorities that the Lord has established.  We are to pray for our children as well as the poor and needy.  God wants us to pray for the nations of the world to come and worship the Lord.  We are also instructed to pray for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom.  This Psalm seems to be a fulfillment of these instructions.  David is clearly praying for the king to experience the blessing of God as well as for him to have the mind of God.  It also appears that David is praying for his son, Solomon to be the recipient of theses blessings.  However, the description of the king seems to fit perfectly with the coming kingdom of Jesus, also known as the Son of David.  The nations of the earth clearly benefit from the answer to this prayer.

A PRAYER FOR THE KING TO BE PRUDENT: It takes a great deal of prudence and wisdom to be able to judge a nation in righteousness.  Justice comes from the Lord and we should pray that He grant it to the leaders of our nations.  The true task of a leader is to promote righteousness and punish sin.  This is not an easy task as has been demonstrated by the overwhelming number of political leaders that have perverted justice and exploited the people under their leadership.  We need to pray that our leaders will truly be godly men who fear the Lord, give favor to the poor and oppressed and judge the nations of the world with equity.  The reality is that none of our leaders have ever perfectly fulfilled this prayer.  They have all lacked the wisdom and the character to judge their people with justice and righteousness.  However, when the Lord Jesus Christ established His kingdom; He will be the ultimate answer to this prayer.

A PRAYER FOR THE KING TO BE POWERFUL: Kings who live in the fear of the Lord will ultimately be successful in their reigns over the nations of the earth.  Perhaps the greatest threat one king faces is the attacks of another king.  However, a king that is truly powerful will not live in fear of other kings.  Instead the kings of the surrounding nations will bring gifts and pay tribute to the more powerful king in order to court his favor and enjoy the protection that this king’s power provides.  David was constantly fighting off the surrounding nations throughout his entire reign.  His son Solomon experienced a great deal of peace in his reign as the kings of these other nations would bring him gifts and pay tribute to Him.  Christ will reign over this earth with absolute power and authority that will be unquestioned and unchallenged by all other leaders.  Jesus is truly the all-powerful and sovereign King of the universe.


A PRAYER FOR THE KING TO BE PROSPEROUS: The favor of God on a nation will often be evidenced in the prosperity of that nation.  These blessings come from God and we should pray for them on behalf of our leaders and our nations.  This prosperity should be used to meet the needs of the poor and give strength to the needy.  Unfortunately, wealth is often used to exploit the poor and only builds greed and resentment.  A godly king will always use the prosperity of its nation to serve the people and take care of those who are in need of help.  When King Jesus returns to this earth and establishes His reign there will be a prosperity on this planet as has never been seen before.  Great praise will rise to the Lord for He will bless those who have been oppressed in the past.  God always desires to bless us so that we can bless others.  Prosperity is given to some so that they can be a blessing to others.

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