Psalm 101 describes the king’s commitment to lead in a faithful and godly manner. It was probably used at coronations or other celebration of the king in ancient Israel. A quick reading reveals principles that can be applied to political, business, or even church leaders in any age.
Dr. Daniel Estes turns these principles into a verse-by-verse prayer list for leaders in his excellent New American Commentary on Psalm 73-150. This list can be a series of prompts for prayer or a template for evaluating current and potential leaders.
- May they maintain a genuine, humble commitment to live by the values of God (v. 1).
- May they demonstrate integrity in their personal lives (v. 2).
- May they have discernment to see through issues and people (v. 3).
- May they be committed to godly standards of right and wrong (v. 4).
- May they exercise wisdom in their choice of associates (v. 5-6).
- May they take a courageous stand against evil, even at personal cost (v. 7).
- May they be just in exerting active moral influence in their sphere of responsibility (v. 8).
Be sure to pray for yourself as you pray for others. Faithful and godly leadership is meant to set an example we all can follow.
Dr. Daniel J. Estes serves as the Distinguished Professor of OT at Cedarville University. While I was a student at Cedarville he was my academic advisor. He is an expert in the poetic books of the Bible and his writing encourages and challenges my soul.
Amen