If Kwame Kipatrick has a Bible in his cell, he should read King David's final prayer

The news media says that Kwame Kilpatrick, former Detroit mayor sent to prison for violating his probation on an obstruction of justice chage is in segregation.  He's probably seeing a Michigan Department of Corrections officer or two and perhaps he has seen a prison chaplain.

He's a young leader who has fallen far and who faces plenty of challenges when he gets out.  What can he do to help himself now?

I would recommend King David's final prayer.  David had an up and down life.  When he screwed up, he did it in a big way and it was ugly and impacted a lot of people with a high cost.  There was sex, violence and power-mongering in his story.  Then he got it by realizing where his focus needed to be. 

My friend Dave Porter, the author of the Boomer In The Pew blog writes about this prayer in a post and talks about how important it is for each one of us to take these words and make them personal.  I'm working on it, Dave.

Here's the prayer from 1 Chronicles 29:

“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you..."