Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
No, in your heart you devise injustice,
And your hands mete out violence on the earth.

Even from birth the wicked go astray;
From the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
Like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
That will not heed the tune of the charmer,
However skillful the enchanter may be.

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!

“Break the teeth in their mouths” is a different tune than we heard on Sunday when we heard “turn the other cheek.” We are called to “turn the other cheek” AND we are able to speak to our Lord in the most honest terms. Feelings are a gift from God and can be expressed to Him without having to manage our image with him. When the people in charge are actually only taking care of themselves, then it needs to be called out. We want things to be better. That is, in part, why we pray.

Let’s pray for leaders today. Pray for Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Pray for Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden and for Europe’s leaders. When righteousness prevails God is honoured and when wickedness extends we pray directly into the mess. Strap on the full armour of God and pray!

We are a people of hope. Every day we are a people of hope.

Praying with you this day.

Andrew