Prideful Leadership

April 9, 2019

DAILY READING

Psalm 20
This weekend’s reading: Luke 23:32-43

FIELD NOTES

Psalm 20 is a prayer for the King of Israel. The people ask that God answer the King in times of trouble, grant him his heart’s desire, and fulfill his plans for the nation.
 
I find verses 7-8 particularly convicting: “Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.” The Wesley Study Bible comments concerning this verse, “The very name of God is more powerful than the most sophisticated weapons of warfare.”
 
In the time of the Psalms, warfare was common, as it is today in much of the world. Nations rose and fell at rapid speeds. Though the Israelites pray for their King’s discernment in times of war, they know that the source of their salvation is God, and God alone. They are proud, not because they win wars, but because they are God’s people.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD 

• Consider what in your life most causes you to feel pride: Your heritage? Your country? Your job? Your family? What about your faith?

FAMILY FIELD TALK 

• Our identity is firstly in Christ before all things. All the rest will fade away (“dust to dust”), but Christ is eternal. What does this mean to you?

PRAYER GUIDE

Our pride and our victory are found in you, O Lord. You are our strength and our shield. As we seek to be the leaders you call us to be, remind us that you are the source of all things good and true, and you transcend our human-made categories. Amen.