As Christian voters, we have a responsibility to pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-3). But how do we choose how to cast our vote? We perhaps do not pay close enough attention to what Scripture has to say about the sort of leadership which is close to God’s heart. But one good place to start is Psalm 72. It does, of course, point to Christ – yet is not purely Messianic, for it was prayed for the reigning king and we should not therefore miss the plain meaning of these words: ‘May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!’