The King’s Heart

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; [God] turns it wherever [God] wills. – Proverbs 21:1 (NRSV) 

What does the heart of the leader of your nation do for the people? 

Does it quench their thirst, or does it leave them gasping and desperate? 

When they are withering on the vine, does it come to their aid, or turn away? 

When fires rage out of control, does it quench them, or does it spray fuel instead? 

What does the heart of the leader of your nation do for the people? 

Does it seek to cleanse the nation’s sins with honesty and justice, righteousness and generosity, or does it just spray more filth? 

As temperatures rise, does it provide refreshment, or does it further scorch an already-burned people? 

Does it dissolve the bonds of cruelty and injustice, or does it exult while they harden into place? 

This is how you know your leader is on God’s side, says the author of Proverbs: parched lands are watered, deserts spring to life, the withered become juicy, the brittle become supple, those who thirst become sated, the dirty become clean, and new life bursts forth in a rush. 

If at least some of these things are happening in your nation, there’s a real possibility that God is using your leader’s heart to do her work in the world. 

If none of them are, it’s probably worth asking who’s using that leader’s heart instead. 

Prayer
Let the heart of every leader be as a gentle stream of cool water in your hand, O God. And let mine be, too. Amen.

About the Author
Quinn G. Caldwell is Chaplain of the Protestant Cooperative Ministry at Cornell University. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas. Learn more about it and find him on Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.