"Endow the King..."

My Scripture reading this morning came from Psalm 72 (I use The Book of Common Prayer - Daily Office Readings). In this Psalm I was impressed with the prayer David offers on behalf of his son, Solomon who is about to take over as king. It is a list of blessings David prays for the new king. He prays that the king is endowed with (God's) justice, the mountains bring prosperity to the people, his rule extends from sea to sea, tribes bow before him and other kings offer him gifts. He prays that the king rescues the oppressed and the needy. He prays that the king would be like falling rain on a mown field. He prays that the land would flourish during his rule and that nations will be blessed through him.

I have a few observations...

1. I was convicted over the fact that I don't pray for our leaders enough. I watched "Frost/Nixon" last night and it reminded me of the great pressure our President and our government officials face every day. Shame on me for not lifting them up in prayer more often!

2. I was reminded that God's people need to remember that their role is to be a blessing to the world around us. Too often we have an escapist mentality where we are only thinking about the future and heaven and "escaping these earthly chains," but the more I read Scripture, the more I realize that God isn't nearly as interested in harps and clouds as He is His people doing His will on earth as it is in Heaven. Maybe I need to focus a little more on bringing Heaven to earth now.

3. I was impressed by the measure of success used to determine how good the king was. The king was blessed if...

• the righteous flourish
• the community is strong
• others recognize his wisdom and justice
• the afflicted have an advocate
• the weak and needy are helped and rescued
• other leaders and communities are blessed by him

What would happen if we started using these measurements to determine if our churches are "successful"? Rather than attendance and budgets and buildings, what if we measured our success based on the health of our community and the way we are a blessing to others and the status of the needy and oppressed in the communities around us?

The end of this Psalm ties the glory and praise of God to the way His chosen leader leads. That is a sobering connection. The way I lead in God's Church is a form of worship.

I hope I never forget that.

Under the Mercy,
Jason