Psalm 72
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
²May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
³May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
⁴May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
⁵May he livewhile the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
⁶May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
⁷In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
⁸May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
1 Samuel 8:10-18
¹⁰Samuel toldall the words of theLordto the people who were asking him for a king.¹¹He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will takeyour sons and make them servewith his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.¹²Some he will assign to be commandersof thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.¹⁴He will take the best of yourfields and vineyardsand olive groves and give them to his attendants.¹⁵He will take a tenthof your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.¹⁶Your male and female servants and the best of your cattleand donkeys he will take for his own use.¹⁷He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.¹⁸When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but theLordwill not answeryou in that day.”
1. Royal/Enthronement Psalms: Israel and kings

2. How to pray for your country
· principles
· prosperity
· protection and peace
· poor and powerless
Key verse for the week
Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. – Psalm 72:1

Questions for Conversation and Reflection
When you pray for our country, do you pray for principles or politics? What do you think it means to be “a prosperous nation?” When you pray for our country, do you lift up in particular the poor and powerless?