Psalm 20
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.May the Lord grant all your requests.
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
(Psalm 20 NIV)
What is your battle today?
- Maybe it’s a person.
- Maybe it’s a habit.
- Maybe it’s an object (think: technology).
- Maybe it’s an attitude or a mindset.
- Maybe it’s a schedule or pressure to perform or deliver a good or service.
Whatever we’re battling with today, King David reminds us to trust in God alone (v. 7) for our deliverance.
How often we try to solve our problems ourselves, quickly running out of our limited resources. And if we don’t rely on ourselves, we often put our hope and trust in someone or something else instead of the Lord.
This psalm is set in King David’s day and is focused on his military activities against one of the many enemies of his country. This psalm is a prayer for victory over David’s enemies; Psalm 21 is David’s praise and thanksgiving for God answering his prayer and giving victory over his enemies.
In this broken, fallen world, life is a struggle. Anyone who promises that life is easy or a breeze is seriously deluded.
But despite the thorns and pains of life, the Lord promises to provide for our needs and promises to go before us and with us along life’s journey.
Lord, we call upon you today – we need Your help to take on the battles of the day. We acknowledge and confess our brokenness and our need of You and You alone to provide the victory over whatever we’re battling today.
Lord, please accept the meager offerings of our time, our talents, our resources, our selves today – You have given Your all for us; what we offer back You don’t need; You already own the cattle on a thousand hills. All we have and give back is already Yours, but we pray our offerings may bring You glory.
Lord, thank You for answering our prayers; help us to trust in You and You alone for our deliverance, strength, and wisdom as we begin our journey called “today”.
May Your name be praised today and forevermore.
Amen.
Blessings,
~kevin
kevin lotz 