Pray for Leaders
Pray for leaders to do the right things at the right time.
Pray for leaders to listen to good and many advisors.
Pray for leaders to be responsive to people who are marginalized.
Pray for leaders to be as wise as possible.
Pray for leaders not to make big blunders.
Pray for leaders to be put in check when they do.
Pray for leaders to operate daily within the system of checks and balances.
Pray for leaders to follow the laws and uphold the rights of people.
Pray for leaders to tell the truth or be caught in untruth.
Pray for leaders to be healthy.
Pray for leaders to be awake and alert.
Pray for leaders to be curious about details and complexities.
Pray for leaders to hear sensible advisors.
Pray for leaders to be successful and rewarded when they act with compassion and integrity.
Pray for leaders to have courage when they do what is just.
Pray for leaders to grow in office and outperform our expectations.
Pray for leaders to become more tenderhearted.
Pray for leaders to have good people in their lives.
Pray for leaders to be accountable.
Pray for leaders to be the leaders we need and not always what we deserve.
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Serenity Prayer
- Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen
Excerpts from upcoming book on
Solomon and Leadership
Proverbs 1:1 introduces the sponsor, collector, and author, Solomon with these words, "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;"
Solomon inherited his post as king. And yet, history demonstrates that many kings have come to their thrones by chance, only to lose them by negligence, abuse, and incompetence.
Solomon solidified his leadership through the exercise of practical wisdom. It was all he asked for from God, to have a discerning heart and mind. He was sought out for advice. As I have said in other articles, he was one of the earliest leadership consultants and personal coaches. People came to hear him and ask questions. Then they paid him.
Some observations on Solomon's attitudes and effectiveness are tentative, but obvious to me.
He received an abundance of wisdom because he wanted it badly enough to ask for it and abandon other concerns to attain it. We are not going to become wise through chance or passive indifference. We must hunt it down and invest our time and resources in its acquisition. The attainment of wisdom requires sacrifice.
His wisdom grew as it was exercised practically and in the service of his people. He made himself available to help even the lowliest of the land solve their problems. He was generous with this gift he had received and did not reserve it only for those who could advance his interests.
He understood and taught that wisdom is of no value unless you do what you know to do and ought to do. It is never the mere accumulation of knowledge. That activity is merely a game of trivia. For Solomon, wisdom was more about doing than knowing.
He understood that wisdom was about making the right moral choices, doing the right thing in our dealings with others. One could not be wise without being fair, compassionate, honest, just, and diligent.
He understood, taught, and practiced a vital relationship between wisdom and work. He correlated hard, steady work, balanced with sensible rest, with success. He correlated laziness with persistent failure. He worked hard and built a great legacy. He taught others to do the same.
He was humble enough to know that his great wisdom was a gift which he merely received and exercised. He was dependent on someone greater and wiser. Humility, he would say in so many ways, opens our minds to possibilities we have not yet considered. Those possibilities open doors of understanding that are unattainable by those who are self satisfied and proud.
He taught and practiced a lifestyle of lifelong learning and seeking. He knew that every great teacher remains a great student.
Solomon knew that all wise men seek advice before making great decisions that affect the lives of people and their own destinies. He knew that people, like ants needed to work together in cooperation for a great cause. He knew the value of people.
He also knew human nature and the flaws we all must contend with. He knew the kinds of temptations that trip people up are common and avoidable, but only if we recognize them and stay alert. Overconfidence, he realized, was a much a danger as lack of confidence. Solomon knew that sinful, broken people need a God of grace who is always available to help those who are prone to fall.
