40 You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Psalm 89:40-45

The Psalm writer gave us a colorful account of what happened to King David. The long and short of those verses is that God has the absolute power to bring rulers to power and to bring them to ruin. Choose any modern leader and the same can be said of them. Dictators and some with dictatorial tendencies reveal their hubris by thinking they will be in power forever. David, however, showed us that even great kings in ideal situations can come and go quite easily.

As we approach a new year we need to be praying for some of these leaders. At this point I’m not sure which of the adage is truer: “they need the prayer and we need to practice.”

I am by no means a prophet, but many economists are predicting a financial collapse that will make the crash of 1929 seem like a day in the park.

World leaders struggle with ways to contain and destroy the threat of Islamic terrorism and to deal with the refugee crisis coming from Syria.

Not to mention there’s a significant presidential election next November that could alter the landscape of world politics for decades to come.

This world and its leaders really need the prayers of Believing saints.