Whether it is the business, military, political, religious, or educational fields, excellent leadership is needed. Each year, approximately 3,000 books are published on leadership. Depending on how you search the Amazon website, you will find between 30,000 and 60,000 books listed.
If you read First and Second Kings, you will discover that good leadership was generally lacking among the Hebrew people. People certainly welcomed Isaiah’s prophecy about a good leader who would come after the devastating losses stemming from self-serving kings.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-3)
If the people thought good leadership was right around the corner, they had to wait 700 years for Jesus to display the character traits of a leader who was led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
While Jesus is the perfect representative of a God-styled leader, we can pray for leaders we encounter to have these traits. All of these qualities are possible when leaders are captivated, activated, and motivated by the Holy Spirit.
Whether it is a pastor, politician, business person, or educator we have in mind, we can ask God to draw them into a relationship with His Spirit, where He can impart these qualities of leadership in them.
Justice and Righteousness
How does God evaluate the effectiveness of a Holy Spirit-led person?
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins. (Isaiah 11:3b-5)
Spirit-led leaders are known for their attitudes and actions. Based on this Isaiah passage, there are two obvious results of leadership that is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
(1) James, the Lord’s brother, understood that leaders should not evaluate others based on outward appearances.
My brothers and sisters, do not claim the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory while showing partiality.
For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in,
And if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,”
Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4).
(2) Jesus led by His example and teaching that good government cares for the poor and oppressed.
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. . .'” (Matthew 25:34-35).
The Results of Spirit-Led Leadership
The peaceful kingdom that is listed in these verses will ultimately take place when Jesus renews all things at the end. However, just as the fruit of salvation does not have to wait for heaven, neither should this vision of peace.
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6 and 9)
What is keeping us from praying that God will grant the world Holy Spirit-led leaders in all arenas of life? What if millions of us prayed for leaders to have the qualities described in verses 2 and 3?
Rather than complaining about leaders, why not devote a few minutes each day to asking God to draw them into a relationship with the Holy Spirit? In that relationship, they will demonstrate justice and righteousness, giving the most disadvantaged a chance to thrive.
Why not pray bold prayers and ask God to grant our troubled world a taste of the peace mentioned in verses 6–9?
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 