I was struck by the crown that was taken from the conquered king and placed on David’s head. I hope he quickly took it off. If they are right about how much a talent of gold is, that crown weighed 75 pounds.

The literal heaviness of the crown made me think of the metaphorical weight of the crown, the burden of the responsibility of ruling.

Rehoboam made one bad decision and, in a day, lost most of his kingdom.

The king of the Ammonites made two bad decisions and his people become servants to David and Israel.

The Ammonites were a prosperous people. 1 Chronicles 20 mentions what a great amount of spoil was gathered from them.

They were prospering one moment and the next day stripped of their worldly possessions of value and forced to labor for another.

Just like that the weight of the crown can turn lives upside down. Do you pray for your leaders and for elections? The Bible says that no one has authority unless God gives it to them. Do you pray for who is going to be over you?

1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

Their king led them into servitude. Don’t let it happen to you. We don’t accomplish it through protests. We accomplish it through prayer.

Pray for yourself as well. What do you have authority over in your life? Maybe you think you don’t have any authority. Do you get to pick what you wear each day? Do you control what comes out of your mouth? There are things you have control over.

Pray for wisdom and discernment. Pray for inspiration and vision. Pray for a selfless heart and understanding of how our decisions affect others. And for love of God and love of others to be what motivates our thoughts, words, and actions.