Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Grounded - Part 2

 

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. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[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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