Friday, December 2, 2016
Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and
righteousness to the king’s son. Help him judge your people in
the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. May
the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful. Help
him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their
oppressors. May they fear you as long
as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!
May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
like the showers that water the earth. May all the godly
flourish during his reign. May there be
abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.
Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious
name forever! Let the whole earth be
filled with his glory.
Amen and amen! Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19(NLT)
Amen and amen! Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19(NLT)
This Psalm may have been
composed by David, anticipating the coronation of his son, Solomon. It is a wonderful prayer for any ruler, because
it’s hugely challenging for any ruler to live up to the high-bar goals this
prayer holds forth. It’s also exceedingly
difficult for the people of any nation to choose a leader whose character
matches this resume’.
The two great pillars of
character are justice and righteousness.
Justice is the
rule of law, and that is a matter of the mind.
Righteousness is
a condition of fairness and mercy tempering the harshness of rules, and that is
only possible as compassion and love spring from the fountain of the heart. It’s a thin line for any human to walk.
I have prayed for many
presidents, from the 1950’s when Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower sat in the Oval
Office, to the present day. It is wisely
said that, if you voted, but don’t pray for whomever sits in that seat, you have
neglected the more important part of a citizen’s right and duty!
And this is the urgency I
feel for the people of our divided country today. We have just come through what is, in my
lifetime, the most perplexing presidential election campaign…ever! We are now facing uncharted waters in terms
of the personality and volatility of the one who will become the 45th
President of the United States in January.
Many are already praying, indeed some, as the apostle Paul, never ceased
praying. Some are planning to leave the
country; others are glad to see them go.
While there have always been
differences between people (sharp differences) when it comes to political
rubber and road, I do not believe I have ever seen a more shameful time when hatred
and vitriol rule the day, as we now have from both sides of the aisles of both
Washington and Wal-Mart.
Now, I don’t have time here
for a sermon, but let me ask Methodist founder John Wesley to give us all a
sermon-like reminder. In Wesley’s day
there was a brouhaha boiling over such things as baptism, church membership and
how to administer the Lord’s Supper. In
Wesley’s rather well-known sermon A
Catholic Spirit, after recounting the many differences held, he
called for action that befits people of character:
Let all these smaller points stand aside. Let them never come into
sight. "If your heart is as my heart," if you love God and all
mankind, I ask no more: "give me your hand."[ii]
That’s the rub today – can those
of you on the “right” side of the aisle take the hand of those on the “left” side? Can we put aside the petty, and join together
in prayer for the one who will occupy the hot seat in Washington? Can we do this for the sake of our country
and its leadership and duty around the world in a very troubled time?
There is a vast difference
between loyal opposition
and dividing dissenter
among those who didn’t get their way in the election. And there is also quite a difference between winning the White House as a prize,
and rubbing it in the face
of honest people who would hold the winner to a higher standard. There is a nobler way that awaits us.
For You Today
Democrat,
Republican, Green Party, Tea Party, or no party, I want us all to pray for the
outgoing president, and the incoming president; will you give me your hand?
NOTES
