121 Days of Prayer

And You Have Said, “No, Set a King Over Us”

The purposes of this prayer are: Leadership, Guidance/Purpose and Wisdom.

Sovereign God, when the Israelites told Samuel that they wanted a king placed over them, you told Samuel that the Israelites were not rejecting his leadership, but yours (1 Samuel 8:7), and then you told Samuel to give them what they requested. After being led to the person you selected to be king over the Israelites, Samuel directed all the Israelites to assemble at Mizpah and told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord, by your tribes and clans,” and then further, “Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.’ Then the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’ Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.” 1 Samuel 10:18–19, 24–25 (NIV). Lord, after the Israelites rejected your kingship over them, you graciously allowed Samuel to appoint a man of your choosing to be their king. From that time forward, the Israelites suffered many times from poor leadership and many evil kings. Knowing how intensely Christians have suffered from poor and evil leadership in the past causes us to pray all the more fervently that we be led by good and faithful spiritual leaders. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.