Poem for a King

Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king,for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. You are the most handsome of all.
Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever.
Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!
You are so glorious, so majestic!
In your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!
Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies' hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.
 Kings’ daughters are among your noble women.
At your right side stands the queen,
wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir! Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord. The princess of Tyre will shower you with gifts.
The wealthy will beg your favor.
The bride, a princess, looks glorious
in her golden gown. In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids. What a joyful and enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king’s palace! Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands. I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever. Psalm 45 NLT

Don't get me wrong, I like living in a democracy where I can help choose our leader. I appreciate being able to speak out when I don't like something that leader does. However, there is something about having a God-appointed leader to whom you can sing a love song.

And that is what this psalm is – a love song to the king.

So often we get caught up in criticizing our leaders that we don't seem to ever get around to encouraging them and saying nice things.

The danger is that we get so used to being critical that this same attitude can creep over into our relationship with God.

God, we love you. We don't always agree with you. We have learned to be critical of our earthly leaders. Please help us to temper our opinions with kindness. May we never let our earthly habits become spiritual. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims