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Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Wisdom-Crucial-for-Leaders-e1riuvh
1 Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. 2 May he judge your people rightly, be honorable to your meek and lowly. 3 Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. 4 Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. 5 Outlast the sun, outlive the moon - age after age after age. 6 Be rainfall on cut grass, earth-refreshing rain showers. 7 Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. 10 Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth. 11 All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him, 12 Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. 13 He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. 14 He frees them from tyranny and torture - when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies. (Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 The Message Bible)
A blessed and wondrous Thursday to you,dear Friend! Let us join together in a spirit of worship and an attitude of prayer as we approach God's word today. May it be God speaking to us and blessing us with what it is we need. Let us continue to pray for those who are ill, hurting, worried, scared, etc., in the name of Jesus. Pray for one another. Pray for this day to be a great day for all whom we know who might be fearful of challenges before them.
Two things that trouble me. Children's sermons written for adults whose length exceeds a child's attention span and whose main theme is directed at a particular group or issue the church is facing. The second thing are prayers that are prayed aloud with the above conditions as well. This is a prayer from the psalmist to God with the king in mind. His petition is for God to bless the king with wisdom and leadership with justice for the prince. The prayer does outline some of the concerns the psalmist has for the country, namely, for "the meek and lowly" to be honored by his rule. He invites the mountain to share a witness of this; and the hills to be shaped with "the contours of right living." His call is for the royals to stand for the poor, to help the children of the needy, and swift justice for the wicked, whose lives take advantage of these who are needy. The prayer asks that this rule of justice and wisdom be long, longer than the sun, and that it outlive the moon, in other words, an eternal rule of justice for all the earth. The theme echoes that which we heard in yesterday's Isaiah passage; the idea and reality of a peaceable kingdom is possible when our knowledge and love of God and God's precepts can make that possible.
The psalmist's view is that when such a kingdom comes, other kinds will fall in worship, and even godless nations would seek to be like this kingdom that God has established. The psalmist knows God to be a God who responds to the poor and destitute, and His heart is always open for the downtrodden. Our God is a God of restoration for the wretched of this earth. In God's mind, there is no room on earth for tyranny and torture; such is God that the psalmist says when the oppressed bleed, God bleeds; when they die, God dies as well. Our God identifies with us and our needs.
Advent is the season of action. As we prepare we receive what we need to take action. One of my early mentors used to ask, "Why is it we as a Church always retreat? When are we doing to advance?" I would use the word attack, because that's what we need to do against the very things that the psalmist said are against what affirms life and promotes righteousness. Advent is a season to advance, and when needed, attack. With God's help we will prove victorious for the sake of the Lord.
PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us the victory against all that is evil and unrighteous in our lives. We need to prove to be people of hope and peace; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a person of strength for the weak in faith.
Receive my blessings of peace and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
