Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: Psalm 72

“May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.” ~ Psalm 72:6-7

Psalm 72 is an ancient Israelite prayer for the king. In it, the LORD is asked to pour out blessings and resources on the king. Prosperity, honour, gold and crops are all named and prayed for. But the point of the prayer was not that the king himself would have his life improved and made abundant. The aim of praying that the king should be blessed with these particular things is revealed by the accompanying prayers for him to be blessed with the ability to rule his people with justice and righteousness, to defend the afflicted, crush the opprressor and save the children of the needy, to have compassion on the weak and to rescue and save his people from oppression and injustice.

Their prayer was that their king would be blessed to be a blessing, and to make everyone’s lives better through his ministry of leadership.

The key verses for our purposes today (v.6-7) employ the image of the king pouring out the blessings of righteousness, justice, flourishing and abundance, like a cloud pours out its rain to water the earth. This is our calling as followers of Jesus too. Having been deeply satisfied at the Well of Living Water, our calling is to go into our community and world in order to allow the “streams of Living Water to flow from within us” (John 7:38), ministering the blessings of hope, compassion, practical help and powerful prayer, bringing about justice and righteousness in our community, city and nation. This is our calling. This is what we joyfully anticipate our lives becoming in 2023.

God of the Well of Living Water, bless us so that we may be a blessing. Bless us with the goodness of heaven and then use us to establish Your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.