Tuesday, January 12, 2021
I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power. Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people. Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them. For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land. The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety. Psalm 69:29-36
Yesterday’s prayer of King
David (O God, you know how foolish I am…) claims his personal
responsibility for the depths to which his relationship with God had fallen. This
was no blaming of God or anyone else; he accepts the full weight of his sin.
I saw in that a good bit of identification with
the beleaguered president of our nation; not confession (that’s not his public
kind of response to trouble), but rather the reality that, like David, the
president’s muddle is a mixture of the nature of being at the center seat of
power – much of it is self-inflicted because of choices made.
While yesterday’s devotion ended with a call that
we pray for Mr. Biden as he takes over on January 20th it in no way
diminishes (for me) the level of prayer I offer for the outgoing
president. The Scriptures we read today
are the result of King David’s confession, which resulted in God’s forgiveness
and restoration of the land. This is
what I pray for Donald Trump and all the leaders of our nation – that a revival
of trusting in God, marked by humility and confession, fuel a blessing of
righteousness.
It is not too late for Mr. Trump to do the most
important work of the past four years of his administration, and even of his
entire life – that to which we’re all called, to bow before Heaven’s throne as
King David did. The apostle Paul unveiled
for the believers at Rome what the result is for all who do that:
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10
Salvation is of a personal nature, and it is my
heartfelt prayer that Donald Trump has, or will, commit his life to
Christ. It is not for me to judge what
God alone can. But a good dose of
humility in plain sight would be a welcome medicine for the anger and division existing
in this country.
For You Today
Whether you’re a card-carrying Democrat, Republican, or any other party affiliation,
or no party affiliation, this isn’t about politics; this is about praying for
the troubled nation in which we live, and the souls of our leaders.
It’s much like the proverb about speaking-up…it only takes a bit of silence
for evil to prevail. In this case, the
speaking-up is in the direction of God’s throne room.
[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on this text see When Your Choice is the Lesser of
Evils
and Whom Do You Trust?
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