URC Daily Devotion for Thursday, 21 May 2026
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Reflection
After listening, learning and praying, we are called to speak out for justice.
In today’s reading, King Lemuel’s mother advises what good political leadership looks like, and centres the need to ‘speak out’ for the marginalised. Ten years ago, the Church of Scotland’s Speak Out project adopted this advice in a national context, asking 10,000 members of the public to imagine an ideal future for Scotland. They were encouraged to speak out with a postcard that would contribute to the consultation, crowdsourcing wisdom from the bottom-up. The results were analysed and informed the Church’s Speak Out themes, as a basis for its justice work for the future.
Our friends in the Church of Scotland, alongside JPIT’s core member denominations, have institutional power to ‘speak out’ on behalf of the marginalised, but our local congregations are places of power and influence within our communities.
The second part of the Speak Out project encouraged people to think about how they could use their voices or enable their church to strive towards an ideal Scotland. By engaging with a range of faith and secular groups, it reinforced how the church is more informed and equipped to speak out when embedded in the wider community. The Church of Scotland’s campaign approach entailed centralised media releases, parliamentary lobbying and community engagement. This multilateral work was echoed more recently in the Scotland Demands Better campaign, alongside the URC’s National Synod of Scotland and 280 other organisations.
These verses of Proverbs 31 are addressed to a specific, powerful leader, but I believe are relevant both to our current political leaders – and the standards to which we should hold them – as well as the type of collective leadership that the Church can have. Our churches display beautiful diversity with thousands of members, and this carries much weight in speaking to power. Our Christian faith compels us to lead with humility and servanthood, meaning that we are called to work in partnership towards collaborative campaigns, for the benefit of all.
Prayer
God our Creator,
give us strength to live out
our Christian values in a messy world.
You showed us the ultimate humble leader in Jesus.
Help us to listen and work alongside others,
leading the way to a better world.
Help us to recognise our flaws
and where we have been complicit in injustices.
Remind us today of your call
to be a light in the world and to speak out.
Amen.