“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your god.”
– Micah 6:8
On this Pray the Word podcast, we have just concluded walking through, meditating on verses from the Psalms. I love the Psalms. They are so real and raw and life-giving and hope-celebrating and God-exalting. So I hope that’s been an encouragement. In the next Pray the Word podcast episode, we’ll actually start a journey through the gospels, where each day, we will meditate on, pray according to a verse from each chapter of each of the four gospels.
But today, amidst everything going on in my country and my city even, I want us to meditate on and pray according to Micah 6:8. Where the Bible says, “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your god.”
Called to Godly Justice
Amidst names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery becoming commonplace, in my country over the last few weeks in particular, and not just in my country, far beyond the United States, and cries for justice and mercy. I am reminded in Micah 6:8 that this instinct for justice, this longing for justice, and longing for mercy is built into our hearts by God. And God has called us as his people to do justice, and to love kindness. Not to turn a blind eye or deaf ear to justice but to work for justice, and to love kindness, to cherish kindness, to value kindness and mercy. And in all of this to walk humbly with him.
So I just want to lead us to pray that God would help us to do Micah 6:8, particularly as his people. In whatever country we find ourselves in, in a world where we are surrounded by injustice. So God, we pray. You have told us what is good and you have made clear to us what you require of us, to do justice. God, we pray that you would help us to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with you. God, we thank you for just law enforcement officers who bravely risk their lives under the banner of Romans 13 to promote good and to protect against evil.
Micah 6:8 Prays for Protection and Safety
We pray for your protection of them. God, we also pray that you will call to account and bring to an end any and every abuse of that authority. For evil that you have given for good, God we pray that for law enforcement officers, for lawmakers, for every single one of our lives. God, we pray, in light of Genesis 9 and Deuteronomy 4 for just laws in our land. 2 Samuel 8, “For equal impartial execution of those laws.” Proverbs 13:23, “For fair process and opportunity for all people under laws that are good.”
God, we pray for leaders like we see in Psalms 72, we pray for government leaders who fear you with humility, who love righteousness and hate evil. Proverbs 1, Proverbs 8, we pray for leaders around us, God in light of 1 Timothy 2, with honor according to 1 Peter 2, we pray for our president, for our governors, for state, local, city, county leaders that under their governance we pray we might lead peaceful, quiet, godly, dignified lives.
Micah 6:8 Prays for The Health of Cities and Churches
God, we pray for the welfare of our cities and the welfare of our country, Jeremiah 29. God, we pray for your church in our country. We pray that you would help us to lead the way in doing justice. To lead the way in loving kindness and to lead the way in walking humbly with you with compassion for one another and all in a way that longs for the day when your justice will fully and finally reign.
God, we pray, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. God, we pray that you would forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and that you would lead us not into temptation but that you would deliver us from evil. God, help us to do what you have required of us according to Micah 6:8. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
