A Prayer for a Troubled King

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. ²So the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When they came in and stood before the king, ³he said to them, ‘I have had such a dream that my spirit is troubled by the desire to understand it.’ ⁴The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic), ‘O king, live for ever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the interpretation.’ ⁵The king answered the Chaldeans, ‘This is a public decree: if you do not tell me both the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. ⁶But if you do tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honour. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.’ ⁷They answered a second time, ‘Let the king first tell his servants the dream, then we can give its interpretation.’ ⁸The king answered, ‘I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see I have firmly decreed: ⁹if you do not tell me the dream, there is but one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading words to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.’ ¹⁰The Chaldeans answered the king, ‘There is no one on earth who can reveal what the king demands! In fact no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. ¹¹The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with mortals.’
12 Because of this the king flew into a violent rage and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.  Daniel 2:1-12

Holy One,
God of grace and mercy
God of steadfast love and justice

the ruler is upset
he has been troubled in the night
his sleep is disturbed by thoughts, dreams
the nighttime hours leave him disturbed
these hours lead him to call for advice
he turns to those around him
seeking their thoughts on his stirrings
seeking their advice for what to do, how to move forward
he turns to those who hang around
he seeks wisdom from those close by
he doesn't see what we do
that the group he speaks with aren't full of wisdom and knowledge
they just want their personal gain
when asked a tough question
they beg for more time
they hem and haw
dancing around the problem
when they don't speak of what he wants to hear
he flies into a rage and makes poor decisions

Holy One,
in this moment when wisdom seems lacking
in this moment when the wise have left the building
in this moment when rage and violence seem the norm
we need your presence
we need your peace

Holy One,
open the heart of the king
open the heart of those in power
open their ears to hear, their eyes to see
open a path, a way where their seems to be no way

Holy One,
in your mercy hear our prayer.