Give Us David-like Leaders

In a day in which leaders at the highest levels are not characterized by godly character, moral purity and unassailable integrity, may God give us David-like leaders! How strong, fair and prosperous would our nation be if we had a majority of representatives and senators who feared the Lord walking the halls of Congress; a preponderance of judges at all levels of the judiciary who respected their calling and exhibited fidelity to God’s laws; a president and administration who shepherded America with integrity of heart and skillful hands? What would happen to our economic competitiveness in the world if business leaders led like David? How much stronger would our culture be if preachers, entertainers, teachers and journalists served the public as if they were serving God? What a nation we would have, far beyond any of the greatness that has characterized us during the high points of our history.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Chronicles 18:13-14

The Lord made David victorious wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.

Wouldn’t that be refreshing for a change? To have a leader who is not only successful, but whose success can only be explained by God’s direct favor. Moreover, that leader leverages his authority for just purposes and who always does right by the people he leads. And this leader is not merely benevolent because he is a good guy, but because of his loyalty to and dependence on the Almighty.

That was the kind of leader King David turned out to be, and how fortunate Israel was to have him on the throne. Not only did God refer to David as a “man after his own heart,” but he became the measuring stick for all future Israelite kings. One of David’s key worship leaders, Asaph, wrote in Psalm 78:70-72 that precisely because of David’s calling from God and his fidelity to that calling, he led Israel with unassailable integrity and great skill:

God chose his servant David,
calling him from the sheep pens.
He took David from tending the ewes and lambs
and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—
God’s own people, Israel.
He cared for them with a true heart
and led them with skillful hands

O, for David-like leaders in our day! How strong, fair and prosperous would our nation be if we had a majority of representatives and senators who feared the Lord walking the halls of Congress; a preponderance of judges at all levels of the judiciary who respected their calling and exhibited fidelity to God’s laws; a president and administration who shepherded America with integrity of heart and skillful hands? What would happen to our economic competitiveness in the world if business leaders led like David? How much stronger would our culture be if preachers, entertainers, teachers and journalists served the public as if they were serving God? What a nation we would have, far beyond any of the greatness that has characterized us during the high points of our history.

Does all of that sound like a pipe dream? Seeing that kind of leadership at all levels of American society at this point probably seems like it is a shade beyond impossible. So should we even tease ourselves with that kind of fantasy of a better nation? Well, I don’t think it does much good to simply fanaticize about that kind of America, but I do believe we are called to pray for it. The Apostle Paul was pretty clear that we owe it to God and country to intercede on behalf of those who shape the nation:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

I don’t know if we will ever have a leader like David, or if America will enjoy the kind of economic, military and spiritual prosperity that Israel did, but I do know that God is calling us to pray as if it were an expected outcome.