(Today’s readings.. (Exodus 17,18), (Psalm 72), (Mark 5)

Today’s Psalm (72) is a prayer David wrote at the end of his life – addressed to the LORD about Solomon – who was taking over as king. What a vision David had in doing this, it is evident the LORD took his thoughts beyond the forthcoming reign of Solomon.  His prayer starts, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!  May he judge your people with righteousness …” [v.1,2] And Solomon was to do this – and we read in Kings and Chronicles how his fame spread far and wide.

But David is inspired in prayer to even greater visions of the future, ones that will only be fulfilled in the reign of his greater Son!  He prays that “In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!  May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!” [v.7,8]  This ultimate future is further emphasised as the Psalm reaches its climax: “May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” [v.17]

David’s prayer concludes, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen.”  We understand that ‘Amen’ has the underlying meaning, of ‘so be it, this is sure, this is truth.’

David’s prayer is a prayer for all true believers in God and His Son Jesus and the ultimate divine purpose for life on this earth. The final and ‘postscript’ verse of the Psalm is “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.”  The next group of Psalms are prepared by Asaph and others for singing in the Temple – until we get another “Amen and Amen”  at the end of Psalm 89.

Let us all make David’s prayer ours, pleading in prayer to God – “may the whole earth be filled with his glory” – very soon.