O Ye Kings (and Queens) of Righteousness!

I’m penning this from my “jail cell” in a Singapore hotel (my 14-day enforced quarantine) where I was whisked immediately upon arriving in Singapore. It’s a ritzy 5-star JW Marriott in the heart of Singapore’s central business district, and my stay is fully paid for by the federal government here, so no tears for me please! Thanks to digital technology, I’ve been conducting meetings both locally as well as with U.S.-based colleagues on a daily basis and operating on multiple time zones, which has had the effect of prolonging my jet lag rather than curing it.
 
But it has also given me wonderful times spent in the Word and in prayer, including for ISI staff, volunteers, and student leaders. Most recently, I’ve been claiming the promise in Isaiah 32:1-4 for us all:
 
“See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.”
 
O LORD GOD, may it be that each and every staff member, volunteer, and student leader in ISI rise up to their calling as Your “kings” and “queens,” who shall reign in righteousness and rule with justice in their places of work/study and the circles of influence to which and for which You have appointed them!
 
O GOD, as they go about the King’s business, may they be a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm for those they are ministering to! May they be like streams of water that quench spiritual thirst! May they be like the shadow of a great rock in which international students find Your comfort, peace, and security! May they dwell in the shelter of the Most High, and may they rest in the shadow of the Almighty! May they acknowledge You as their refuge and fortress, the God in Whom they trust (Psalm 91:1-2)!
 
LORD, may the eyes of the students see and may their ears listen! May their hearts, turned and turning toward You, come into the knowledge and understanding of salvation in Christ! And, in due course, may their tongues begin to declare Your praise so more can and will come to know You! In Jesus’ mighty name, amen!