Psalm 72
December 4, 2022
O Lord, while we do not live under a king, we can resonate with the ideals Solomon prays for. We pray that justice and righteousness would reign in our country and around the world. We want to see the cause of the poor defended, the righteous flourish, the oppressor crushed. We desire abundant provision for all people, and for the ends of the earth to know Your glory. Daily the news headlines remind us that we have far to go. But it is an encouragement to know that these desires reflect Your own heart. To that end, then, we pray for President Biden, for our congress, for our courts and judges, and for our state and local leaders. We ask that justice would be upheld and that poverty and oppression would be eliminated, so that people can blossom in our cities like the grass of the field.
But while we pray in faith, we also pray in awareness of Your words that “the poor you will always have with you.” We pray knowing that creation has been subjected to futility, that all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, and that paradise will not be found this side of eternity. Help us to hold these tensions, Lord: to continue to pray and work for Your Kingdom come on earth, for the justice and righteousness that reflect Your heart and gladden Your people, but to not grow discouraged or cynical when we continue to see injustice and wickedness flourish.
We are thankful for this season of advent and its reminders. Thank You that You sent Your Son to bring healing and salvation to Your broken world and to our broken lives. Thank You for the hope that evil will not always win, for the love we experience from You that enables us to love the poor and needy around us, for the joy You give us even in this broken world, and for the peace we can experience no matter what surrounds us. Thank You for the confidence Your first advent gives us that this is not the end but that You will return again. That one day we will get to see a Kingdom of perfect righteousness, justice, and provision, because You are that King.
Help us during this Christmas season to share of the hope, love, joy, and peace that we have in You, that we can be a part of spreading your glory to the ends of the earth and to those nearest us. We ask this in Jesus’ name, and all His people said, Amen.