According to some biblical scholars, Psalm 72 was King David’s prayer for his son, Solomon, who was preparing to take the throne. This perspective, of a parent praying for their child as they prepare to step into leadership, really helped these words come to life for me, particularly given David’s own history as a king. He knew what it felt like to live and lead in alignment with God’s presence and will, and what it was like to totally and royally go in the opposite direction (Bathsheba being only one example).
But this prayer was not like one parents might pray for their kids who are preparing to take finals – “please let them get all A’s!” It was for God to place within this new leader God’s very own sense of what is right and just. That leader’s success – what would even make other nations come and bow down – was not about the way they yielded economic and military power, it was the way they cared for and protected the poor, vulnerable, and all who were in need throughout their land.
As the end of the semester approaches and we prepare to take finals or tackle all the other things on our to-do lists, may we remember that, as followers of Christ, we are the ones to whom the baton of leadership is being passed. It’s ultimately not our grades or our accomplishments that will determine if we are successful, but the ways we embody God’s justice, compassion, and care for the poor and vulnerable.
O God, help me to embody your justice and compassion, and remember all who are in need. Amen.
Rev. Gini Norris-Lane
Executive Director, UKirk Collegiate Ministries Association
Words for Waiting 