A Parent Prays


Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
3Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
5May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!
7In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
9May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
11May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
12For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field!
17May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!
20The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

This prayer can be taken in two different ways. It can be seen as David’s prayer for his choice to take up the throne of Israel, his son Solomon. And it can be seen as Messianic, referring to the eternal reign of his descendant, Jesus Christ. As you read through the verses, it is easy to make both applications. David was given a magnificent promise by God. He would be the ancestor of the Eternal King. But in the meantime, there were numerous human kings who would lead God’s people, not the least of which was Solomon.

The more important point to this psalm is of course its references to Jesus as our Eternal King. But as I was reading through these words my mind and heart went to the untold number of prayers I prayed as a mother. David’s hope is that Solomon is a good and gracious king who follows the Lord in all things. While Solomon was indeed a mighty king and did walk with God, he also made a few less than ideal choices especially when it came to the women in his life. But, he was granted great wisdom, power, and wealth by God as the leader of Israel. My girls are grown and parents in their own right but the prayers for them still continue. And of course, now there are grandchildren to lift up before the Lord as well.

All of us have people who are important to us and who are worthy of our prayer time. What kinds of things do you pray for your children/grandchildren/nieces, nephews/dear friends? Asking God be their God and lead them through the life that He has planned for them is always the right prayer. I used to daily ask God to make up for the many, many times I was blowing it as a parent. I was fairly certain there had to be someone better than me to raise these girls. But God is faithful.  He knew exactly what He was doing when He made Cliff and I their parents. So, I figured He could come along and make up the difference when I messed things up. So far, so good.

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