This Day in History: 0000-07-04

July 4 – Psalms 72 

Give Your love of justice to the king, oh 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.
May he reign from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 
Desert nomads will bow before him; his enemies will fall before him in the dust.
The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.
All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him. 

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.
He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him. 

Long live the king! May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people always pray for him and bless him all day long.
May there be abundant grain throughout the land, flourishing even on the hilltops.
May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon, and may the people thrive like grass in a field.
May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines.
May all the nations be blessed through him and bring him praise. 

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! 

(This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.) 

On this day when my nation celebrates its independence, may we all (no matter where we live in the world) use this beautiful prayer of David to guide our own prayers for our individual countries. May we always be people who pray for our leaders, our fellow countrymen, our nations, and for our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world! 

Dear Heavenly Father,
As we reflect upon the values we long to see reflected in the hearts of our leaders today, we come before You, our Eternal King and ask You to give Your love of justice to those who have the authority to judge here on earth. Give them a passion for righteousness. True righteousness that reflects the standards You’ve laid out in Scripture. Give them the clarity to rightly see each case brought before them. Give them pure hearts that cannot be motivated by corruption, but instead treats everyone, whether rich or poor, powerful or lowly, with fairness. 

Place Your hand of blessing on this nation and help us to produce abundantly – not just from the land, Lord, but from our hearts as well. Give us a love for each other that overflows with generosity and care. Make us zealous to defend the cause of the week and the oppressed. Above all else, Lord, help us to live in the fear of the Lord each and every day for as long as we live!  

Lord, be with the men and women who lead us. Those who have been placed in the highest positions in the land. Give them compassion, a love of justice, and a commitment to You. Give them wisdom as they lead us and allow their influence in the rest of the world to be admirable and worthy of respect. Allow the nation to flourish under their leadership. May this be a place where the poor are rescued, where the oppressed are set free, where the weak are defended, and the vulnerable protected. 

Father, raise up Your church to be a people who pray for our leaders. Fill us with humility, and respect. Give us grace, understanding, wisdom, and temperance. As we pray, Lord, answer! Awaken our nation to revival. Make us passionate for You and for Your ways. Make us obedient. And as we follow You, God, allow our hearts to prosper. Fill us with Your Spirit and teach us more each day. Give us joy, and peace, and a faith that thrives as we trust in You. Allow that faith not only to prosper here in this country, but across the world! Send it out from here and bring Your message to the very ends of the earth! 

You are our God, and we praise You. You alone are our King forever. We worship You alone. We trust You alone. We fear You alone. It is our earnest prayer that Your Great Name be spread through every corner of the world. That Your praise fill the whole earth. Thank-you for loving us. Thank-you for choosing us. Thank-you for Your abundant blessing upon us, Lord, make us worthy as only You can. In Jesus’s Name, amen.