A Prayer for 2019

which probably is the earliest of Paul's letters.

1 Thessalonians, and we'll read from chapter 4, verse 13,

down to the end of verse 11 in chapter 5.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep,

or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again,

and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus

those who have fallen asleep in him.

According to the Lord's own word, we tell you

that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord,

will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command,

with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left

will be caught up together with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Therefore, encourage each other with these words.

Now, brothers, about time and dates,

we do not need to write to you,

for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come,

like a thief in the night.

While people are saying peace and safety,

destruction will come on them suddenly,

as labor pains on a pregnant woman,

and they will not escape.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness,

so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

You are all sons of the light and sons of the day.

We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

So then let us not be like others who are asleep,

but let us be alert and self-controlled.

For those who sleep, sleep at night,

and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day,

let us be self-controlled,

putting on faith and love as a breastplate,

and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath,

but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

He died for us so that,

whether we are awake or asleep,

we may live together with him.

Therefore, encourage one another

and build each other up,

just as, in fact, you are doing.

Amen.

And may God add his own blessing

to this reading of his word.

Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

To the book of Psalms and to chapter 72.

And we will look particularly at the first verse,

where we read,

Endow the King with your justice, O God,

the Royal Son with your righteousness.

Now, on this, the first Lord's Day of the New Year,

I want to suggest to you that Psalm 72,

this particular psalm,

presents us with a prayer for this year,

as it does indeed present us with a prayer

for every New Year.

You might wonder why a psalm like this,

which was written approximately 3,000 years ago,

has something to say to us today.

This ancient psalm is very modern

and very relevant.

The unique value of the psalms

is that they have served the people of God

as prayers and as songs of praise over millennia.

We continue in our worship.

The tradition of praise and prayer

extending centuries into the past.

Walter Brueggemann, an American scholar,

has said that the book of Psalms

is the prayer book of humanity.

And that's why psalms feature in our worship

as we meet together week by week

and Sunday by Sunday.

So this particular psalm offers us an anchor

at a time of considerable uncertainty

in public life.

And that's one of the reasons

why I think it is very relevant for us

at this particular point of time.

Because as we look out in the culture in which we live,

we are indeed facing a great deal of uncertainty.

In this year, we enter 12 months

in which some very important decisions

are due to be taken,

which will likely influence our country

and the United Kingdom for decades to come.

And that's why the Psalms are so important

as we seek to be oriented

as we look forward.

We think of some of the events that are to come,

like Brexit, which is due on the 29th of March,

which will take Britain out of the European Union.

And then, of course, there is the uncertainty

which arises as a result of leaving the European Union

about our relationships with other countries,

particularly with the United States.

The question that many people ask is,

will the special relationship survive?

Also, we've been aware of the fact

that concerns about plastics polluting

the physical environment

and entering the human food chain

are considered to be important today.

And, of course, in our own domestic politics

here in Scotland,

there is the possibility of another referendum

on independence,

which may not be far over the horizon,

which creates hope in some and fear in others.

And so it is not my task

or the task of any preacher of the gospel

to give a personal opinion

from the pulpit on the pros and cons

of these issues which I have mentioned.

It is our task,

those of us who preach the gospel,

to make clear that these issues

and other issues which concern us,

while important,

are not the most important.

And this psalm reminds us of that.

This psalm tells us

that the two most important issues

facing our generation

and indeed every generation

are justice and righteousness.

Look again at the first verse of this psalm.

Endow the king with your justice,

O God,

the royal son,

with your righteousness.

And this psalm focuses particularly

upon the justice

and the righteousness

of the king.

The superscription of this psalm

is of Solomon.

However,

these words might equally

well be translated

for Solomon

or to Solomon.

And the inclusion

in the concluding verse

or in verse 20

of the psalm

that it is among

the prayers of David

suggests that this psalm

may have been first offered

as a prayer by David

for his son Solomon

who would succeed him.

And this inclusion

in the Psalter suggests

that this psalm

may well have been prayed

and sung

at the coronation

of the successive kings

of the line of David

in ancient Judah.

The Bible, of course,

underlines the importance

of civic rulers

reflecting in their governance

the key features

of God's rule

over creation.

And these key features

are God's justice

and God's righteousness.

And so this psalm

gives us a frame,

a framework

through which a lens,

through which we might

look forward

into this new year,

into the year

in which we have just entered.

So I want to suggest to you

that this psalm

is first of all

a prayer for today.

It is not a prayer

for yesterday,

it comes from yesterday,

but it is a prayer

for today.

And it is a prayer,

first of all,

for the personal justice

and righteousness

of those who govern us.

This psalm encourages us

to pray that those

who govern us

might recognize

and acknowledge

that they need

the justice

and the righteousness

of God.

And that they

can personally enter

into that

a new relationship

with God

which declares them

to be righteous,

to be justified

by faith in Jesus.

Like Solomon

and his successors,

they and we

all need

to receive

the gift

of God's righteousness.

But the particular

focus of this psalm,

I think,

is on public justice

and public righteousness,

that justice

and righteousness

may be established

in the public square.

So this psalm

is not only a prayer

that the king

might personally

be in a right

relationship with God,

but that he might

govern with God's justice

and God's righteousness

as his lodestars.

So this psalm

provides us

with a vehicle

or a framework

to pray

for our first minister,

Nicola Sturgeon,

for the prime minister,

Theresa May,

for President Donald Trump,

for President

Xi Jinping of China,

for Narendra Modi,

the prime minister of India,

for President Moon Jae-dun

in South Korea,

and whatever other country

may be represented

in our fellowship

this evening.

This psalm

encourages us to pray

that these who lead

the nations

that have been referred to

might receive

the righteousness of Christ

and be brought

into a personal relationship

with God.

And second,

this psalm

encourages us

to pray

that they might promote

and practice

social justice

in the society

they govern.

And this psalm

has a great deal

to say

about just rule.

This psalm

is concerned

about those

who are afflicted

in verses 2 and 4,

about those

who are needy

in verses 4,

12 and 13.

It is concerned

that whoever

is king

or whoever

is governing

will care for them

and look after them.

And this psalm

anticipates

in that sense

the ministry of Jesus

because the ministry

of Jesus

concerned

and focused

on those

who were unjust,

upon those

who were needy,

upon those

who were afflicted.

Remember

what John the Baptist,

when John the Baptist

heard in prison

of Jesus' ministry,

he sent his disciples

to ask,

are you the one

who is to come

or do we wait

for another?

Jesus answered them

with it Matthew tells us,

go and tell John

what you see

and hear.

The blind receive

their sight,

the lame walk,

the lepers are cleansed,

the deaf hear,

the dead are raised

and the poor

of the good news

brought to them.

So Jesus fulfilled

the prayer

of Psalm 72

Psalms 72:12–13

verses 12 to 13

where the coming king

will deliver

the needy

who cry out,

the afflicted

who have no one

to help.

He will take pity

on the weak

and the needy

and save the needy

from death.

Verses 12 and 13.

And it's interesting

that in this psalm

which envisages

a reign of justice

that the natural environment

also flourishes.

Grain abounds

and flourishes

throughout the land

and grows even

on the top

of the hills.

And so we might

ask ourselves

the question,

are we praying

privately and publicly

for those who govern us?

Do we pray for

those who take

the decisions,

who make the laws

in our land

and for those

who administer

these laws

in our localities?

Paul certainly

urges us

to do that.

Remember what he said

to Timothy

giving him advice

to the young pastor.

I urged then,

he said,

that all requests,

prayers,

intercessions

and thanksgivings

be made for everyone,

for kings

and those in authority,

that we may live

peaceable

and quiet lives

in all godliness

and holiness.

This is good

and pleases God

our Savior.

And Paul reminds us

that in his lecture

to the Romans

that the governing authorities

are the servants

of God

and therefore

they are accountable

to him.

John Calvin,

the reformer

in Geneva,

contended that

to be a magistrate

or to be a politician

as we would say today

is to embark

on one of the highest

human callings.

We are to respect

and pray for those

who govern us

despite their failings.

Let's remember

that when Paul said

that those who govern

are the servants of God

that a dictator

was the emperor

in Rome

and Calvin spoke about

the importance

of the magistrates.

He had his own battles

with the town council

of Geneva

yet both apostle

and reformer

recognized

the God-given role

of civil government

and made a point

of praying

for those

who governed them.

Therefore,

it's very important

for us

to pray

in public

and in private

for the government

of Scotland,

of the United Kingdom

and for the governments

of every nation

which is represented here

indeed for all the governments

of the world.

It's also important

for us to pray

for local government.

We should pray

for those governing authorities

in other nations

represented here

especially when

vitally important matters

are being discussed

and decided on.

So as we watch the news,

as we read the newspapers,

let's recognize

that we are not

powerless spectators.

God has given us

access into his presence

and he is the one

who ultimately

rules the world

and he is inviting us

and indeed commanding us

to be involved,

to be participants,

not spectators,

in what is happening

in the wider society

and that's why

it's so important

that we bring

before God

those who lead us

as the psalmist here

brings the king

before God

and ask God

to grant him

his justice

and his righteousness.

And so we might

particularly pray

this week

for the members

of Parliament

as they debate

the future

relationship

of the United Kingdom

with the European Union.

Are we praying

for MSPs

in the Scottish Parliament

as they discuss

the constitutional future

of Scotland?

Also we need to pray

for those who govern

in other countries

are we praying

that God may endow them

with his justice

and his righteousness

that they may care

for the least

rather than grasp

for the most.

And so I want to suggest

first of all

that this psalm

is a prayer

for today.

It's a prayer

that is relevant.

It's a prayer

for 2019.

Although it may be

3,000 years old

it is more relevant

than anything

that you might read

in the newspaper

or hear in television.

This psalm

provides us

with a prayer

to bring

before God

those who govern us.

But secondly

I want to suggest

that this psalm

is also a prayer

for tomorrow.

A close examination

of the psalm

reveals that the focus

of the prayer

of the psalm

extends to someone

greater than Solomon.

Solomon greater

than any of his

successors

on the throne

of Judah.

Solomon did not

rule through

all generations

as long as the sun

and the moon exist

as the psalm

envisages in verse 5.

All nations

did not serve Solomon.

He never attained

a just rule,

peace and dominion

to the ends

of the earth

and the endless reign

for which this psalm

prays.

So this psalm

is more than a prayer

for the king of Israel.

It is also by reference,

also by inference

for all civil rulers.

It is also a prophecy

about the king of kings.

What was prayed

as a wish for Solomon

is prayed as a promise

concerning the king of kings,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

who is the greater

and the greatest son of David.

He will reign

through all generations.

His dominion

will extend

from sea to sea

to the ends

of the earth.

He will be acknowledged

as the king of kings

and lord of lords.

All kings

and all rulers

will bow down to him

and all nations

will serve him.

His name

will endure forever.

All nations

will be blessed

through him

and will call him

blessed.

So this psalm

is both a prayer

for the king

and a prophecy

of the first

and second coming

of the king of kings

and lord of lords.

And it's important

for us to recognize

when we pray

for those who rule over us

in civic government

that justice

and righteousness

will be perfectly established

only when Jesus Christ returns.

after the last king

of Israel

died in Babylonian captivity

this psalm

was sung

and prayed

by the people of God

with a focus

on the coming Messiah.

And so

this psalm

anticipates

not only the first

coming of Christ

as it does

in Matthew's allusion

in verse 11

to the

in his account

of the Magi

bringing gifts

including gold

to the child Jesus.

It is also

a focus

on the second coming

when Christ

will reign

forever and ever

and the whole earth

will be filled

with his glory.

So at the beginning

of 2019

we may ask ourselves

this very serious question

Are we praying

that Jesus might come

in 2019?

Are we saying

as the early church said

come Lord?

Are we anticipating

that this may be

the year

in which

the Lord Jesus Christ

might return?

Or would we prepare

his coming

to wait a little

longer?

Might his coming

be inconvenient

to us

and to our priorities

and to our activities?

This psalm

is challenging us

because

in this psalm

as we sing it

as we pray it

we are praying

that the king of kings

may come

and that if we pray

this psalm with faith

we will expect him

to come.

And so this psalm

is a prayer

for today

and a prayer

for tomorrow.

It is a prayer

for today

in that

it encourages

us to pray

that the king

or the ruler

the government

may be given

his justice

and his righteousness.

We see that

in verse 1

Endow the king

with your justice

O God

the royal son

with your righteousness.

It's also a prayer

for tomorrow.

We read in verse 11

All kings

will bow down

to him

and all nations

will serve him.

The verb there

is rendered

as a future

can equally

be rendered

as a wish

and some

of the translations

thus render it

and the prayer

is that

all kings

might bow down

to him

and all nations

might serve him.

And so this

provides us

with a focus

not only

for today

but also

for tomorrow.

So let us

go out

go through

this new year

with this psalm

in our lips

and with the Lord

it points to

enthroned

on our hearts.

Ruth Graham

the wife

of Billy Graham

wrote a book

some years ago

entitled

Fear Not

the Future

God

is Already

There.

And that

title echoes

what this psalm

is saying.

This psalm

anticipates

the future.

It knows

that God

is there

ahead of us.

And as we

go into

a new year

and as we

face a new

future

let us be

encouraged

by what

this psalm

says

that the

Lord Jesus

Christ

the King

of Kings

is ahead

of us

and that

he is there

and he is

inviting us

to follow him

into

this

unknown

future.

He invites

us

as his

followers

to put

our faith

in him

and to

place

our hand

in his

hand.

He

extends

his

hand

to us

on this

the first

Sunday

of a new

year

and he

invites

us

to go

with him

into it.

May God

grant that

each and all

of us

may put

our hand

in the

hand of

Christ

tonight

and that

we may

follow him

into this

year

and that

we may

know that

he goes

before us

that he

is the

forerunner

who goes

into every

new day

into every

new month

into every

new experience

before us

in order to

make the way

safe for his

people to

follow.

And so may

we have the

confidence that

the psalmist

had when the

psalmist

looked forward

to that day

when the

King of Kings

will rule

the whole

world

when he

will have

dominion

from sea

to sea

and when

his kingdom

will extend

to the

ends of

the earth.

And so

this prayer

is a prayer

for this

year

and a prayer

for every

year.