Psalm 127
November 10, 2024
Heavenly Father,
Another election season has come and gone and a new, yet familiar, leader has been installed as our new president.
To some this election brought relief and hope, to others mourning and despair.
But regardless of what we’re feeling this morning, LORD, about these things, preach to our hearts verse 1: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it — whether presidents, vice presidents, judges, senators, congress — they all labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, our watchman — our police officers, military, fire fighters, EMTs — they stay awake in vain.
Lord, we can boast all we want about policies and what we believe to best… but unless you bless it, LORD, we speak in total vain.
In a strange way, LORD, allow that reality to calm and assure and rebuke our hearts — that you are in complete control.
It is useless for us to set our alarms early or brew another pot of coffee to stay awake solving the world’s problems when they can only ever truly be solved by You.
But with that said, LORD, we lift up Donald Trump and JD Vance to you.
We ask, as we discussed last week, first and foremost that both of them would be saved. That they would see the reality of sin in their hearts and their lives and they would desperately cry out to you in mercy and find such mercy in Christ.
LORD, in reality, all our lives are lived in vain until we’ve done this.
But Lord, we do pray practically for Trump and Vance. We pray for the peaceful transition of power, we pray you would be filling Donald and JD up with wisdom and understanding and thoughtfulness as they seek to make their mark on our country.
We pray LORD for the other members of congress who were elected this week, and pray that they too might not only be given great wisdom by you, but find mercy in you.
We pray for your church here in America, that we would not seek our hope nor have sorrow upon sorrow because of the results of this election and it’s fruit, but that our joy would be 100% grounded in you.
LORD, your Psalm seems to take a strange turn in verse 3 when the conversation suddenly transitions to children and the goodness of them.
But perhaps, LORD, we find understanding in seeing it was Solomon who wrote this Psalm.
Solomon was the Son of David, the ruler of Israel, he himself the builder of the sacred temple (1 Kings 3:1–2), the one who made Israel’s cities great (2 Chron. 8:1–6).
Solomon was, to some degree, the blessed child of David who would reign on the throne.
But it was not truly Solomon who built these things and He was not the Son of David we were waiting for.
Indeed, the true Son of David would be born of a virgin and live in relative obscurity as a builder until his ministry started.
And though Jesus certainly took aim and made pointed comments … Jesus was the one who would be ultimately pierced outside the gates … despite his honor, he was put to shame by his enemies … that we, his unworthy followers, might never feel shame again.
So, Father, for the parents here this morning, may we be especially zealous when it comes to raising our children, that they might be arrows for the LORD’s use and not our own.
Remind us to aim them in the right direction… the ultimate direction … the direction of your glory and honor and fame.
And we say thank you, thank you, thank you for the gift of your only begotten son.
It’s in His glorious name we pray and all God’s people said … Amen.