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DAVID’S FINAL PRAYER (Psalm 72)

Today, we come to the last Exodus Psalm (the second section). It is fitting because Psalm 72 is the final prayer of David.

Psalm 72 should be studied alongside I Chronicles 29, in which David prayed for his son Solomon and passed the crown to the next king of Israel. Psalm 72 is the recorded prayer of David. Its title is “a psalm for Solomon.”

A great bridge was being crossed from one king to the next, yet David was so concerned for Solomon and the people to continue to understand that there is only one King, God.

Verse 20, the last verse of this psalm, says, “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The closer we get to the end, the clearer things get.

If you’ve ever heard a deathbed prayer, the cry of a heart that is about to leave this world, you know how intense it is. It is a fervent prayer that truly reveals the heart of a man.

If you had one final prayer, what and for whom would it be? We will see what David focused on in his final prayer.

He prayed for his son.

Verse 1: “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.” How beautiful. We think of Solomon as the wise ruler of a nation, but David thought of him as his boy. He prayed with a parent’s heart and a father’s love.

One of our last prayers, right up to the final breath we take, should be for the next generation. Pray for your children and grandchildren. Pray for a hedge of protection around them and the blessings of God on them. Your prayers will do much more than your lectures will. Your intercession will accomplish more than your instruction will.

We know Solomon prayed to the Lord for wisdom soon after David’s prayer. God told him he could have whatever he wanted; that is what he chose. I wonder if that was not an answer to David’s prayer here, in which he asked that his son have the judgments and righteousness of God.

Undoubtedly, an application here shows us we should pray for our leaders. Pray today for your president, your governor, and your mayor. We are told in I Timothy 2:1 to pray “for kings, and for all that are in authority.” It doesn’t matter if we agree with them.

He prayed for the coming of God’s Son.

Verses 2-18 discuss the King of Kings and His future rule.

In verse 3, He brings peace and righteousness. There is an emphasis in verses 2, 4, 12, and 13 on Him judging the poor and doing right by them.

It is beautiful to see a picture of the coming Messiah here. Remember that Israel was always awaiting its deliverer from that first promise in Genesis 3 and after Abraham arrived and the nation was established. David did not know exactly how that would come to pass, so while he prayed for his son Solomon, whom he could see, he also prayed for the Son of God to come as the true King.

This is an excellent lesson for us. Don’t just pray for your immediate needs that you can see. Pray also for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done. Isn’t that how Jesus taught us to pray? “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).

Having your eyes fixed on God’s Son will purify your prayers. It will help you pray correctly for your children, family, country, and needs because you will ask for the Lord to be glorified in all things.

Verses 17-19 - “His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.”

God is the only One who does wondrous things, and they are the only things He does. I love how David ends with a double “Amen.” Amen is one of the names for Christ. These are words of assurance, the divine exclamation point on this prayer of faith.

He prayed for the glory of God.

That is the greatest aim of all our prayers and even our lives.

We are taught in James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” We are a nation of consumers, and often, our churches are simply consumers as well. It is all about what we can gain. But true prayer always seeks, first and foremost, that God be glorified.

As you pray for your children, your nation, and the coming of Christ, pray for God to be glorified. As you pray for the deep needs in your life and the salvation of the ones you love, pray with the motive of the glory of God alone.

As we conclude this final prayer of David - the great capstone of a life filled with prayer - let’s not wait until the end of our lives to make it our own. Do it today.

Pray for your children and the next generation. Pray for the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Pray for the glory of almighty God.

As David wrote in his final words: “And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory.”

May all of God’s people say, “Amen, and Amen.”

Resource: Be sure to print out this "Ready Reference of the Psalms." It will serve as a helpful guide as you study the Psalms.