Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical dot net. 2 Samuel chapter 15, verse 4. Then Absalom would say, Oh, that I were judge in the land, then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice. Now the context for this verse is a conspiracy from Absalom to take the kingdom from King David. And the reason I want to lead us to pray according to this verse in particular is because of the way God had set up the king to be judge among his people. So the people would bring disputes to the king and the king would rule justly. That's why Absalom says, Oh, that I were a judge in the land as king, then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me and I would give him justice. So put aside for a moment the fact that this is Absalom wanting to overtake the king, and all that was wrong about that, and all that was wrong even in King David's leadership at this point. See God's good design, though, for the leader among his people to be just and righteous, and to rule and judge disputes, and to lead the people with justice and righteousness. Now, obviously things are different today, even among God's people in the church. We're not a nation with a king in the same way we see in the Old Testament. And we look around us in the world and we see nations led by kings or presidents or dictators or prime ministers in all kinds of different ways. But one of the places my mind goes when I think about God's design here in his word for his people, specifically for a king, a leader to carry out justice, I look around the world and I see so much injustice in leaders, unrighteousness in leaders in so many different spheres and countries and nations, and sometimes it's true in the church. So I want to lead us to pray for justice and leaders, for righteousness and leaders, and for any one of us who is in any leadership position, it could be in a home, in a leadership position, in a school, on a team, in a workplace, and then and certainly in a church or in a city or a government or as a judge or as a leader, as a president, as a governor, in any leadership position we might be in. Let's pray that we would lead well with righteousness and holiness and justice in a way that is good for others, for everyone we lead, and ultimately glorifying to God. God, we pray for this, for all of the leaders in our lives. God, we think of different leaders and different spheres in each of our lives, and we pray, we ask for just leaders, we ask for righteous leaders. To the extent possible, we pray that you would help us to work for just leaders with wisdom. God, we pray for presidents, prime ministers, leaders in different countries. God, please, we pray for your common grace over them. Help them to lead justly and do rightly. And God, we pray for your special grace over them. We pray for your salvation from sin in their lives. And God, for any and every one of us who is in any leadership position at all, help us not to take any such position lightly, even if it's a small position. God help us to steward the leadership you've entrusted to us in ways that are good and right for those we lead, in ways that enable them to flourish as men and women made in your image, loved by you. And God, we pray that you would help us to steward leadership to point them to you as the perfect, just, righteous leader we need. Jesus, we praise you as the perfect leader, as the Lord who is righteousness, who is justice. All glory be to your name. We are so glad you are in charge of the world. And so we pray that you would help us to reflect you. We pray for other leaders who will reflect you and your justice. And God, we pray for the spread of the good news that Jesus is Lord and King to all the nations. For the notorio people of Burkina Faso, please, oh God, may this people group in Burkina Faso and every other people group in Burkina Faso be reached with the good news that Jesus is Lord, that He is King over sin and death and Satan and the grave and the king who is able to give life forever. We pray for that good news to spread to all the nations of the world, even as we rest in the reality, Lord Jesus, that you are king over all and you are perfectly just. We pray all of this in your name. Amen.