The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions. Psalm 20:1-5 KJV
This text reads as a prayer of intercession. Regardless of our respective places, positions, and relationships with God, it behooves each of us to remain constant in prayer. Apart from winning souls to Christ, living a life of holiness and our “good standing” with God, there is still a level of total dependence that the Lord requires. Our dependency on God in large part is supported and cultivated through prayer.
Psalms 20 begins with a cry for deliverance in “the day of trouble.” The defense submitted for the hearer of this psalm was the very name of “the God of Jacob.” By moving from the place of defense to a position and posture of dependency, we bless God on two accounts. First by our recognition of his supreme power, providence and authority, secondly by shifting focus from our dire situation to worship. This shift from horizontal relationship with others, and ourselves to a vertical relationship with God creates a shift in our response to Authority. We begin to walk out our destiny of being in the world but not of the world, fully submitted to the will of God, regardless of the resistance of contemporaries and/or our enemies. We recognize, regardless of our position within and outside the four walls of the church that our first responsibility is to please the Lord. The goal for the believer should be moving beyond the legalistic and natural responses of Christianity found through paying tithes, fasting, or attending worship services, to a relationship with God that requires daily prayer and conversation that requires a sensitive ear. By developing this level of communication with God that exhibits active listening, we are in a better position to “rejoice in salvation,” and walk in complete victory regardless of circumstances.
I am reminded of an Old Testament account of a famine in the land during the time of Joseph (Genesis 41:46-57). While the land was plentiful, he began to store up excess corn and was determined to move into a position of preparedness. He could have chosen to use his hard work to bring increase to his own home, but elected to store and toil for seven years in order to benefit many. I liken this account in Genesis to our actions and responses to God’s spiritual blessings during our times of joy and abundance. The spiritual revelations and blessings that the Lord pours into our lives must be cultivated and “stored” so that when times of disaster come into our lives and the winds of adversity blow, we are not only sustained by those same blessings but also enlightened and elevated by the revelation of scripture. In chapter 20, the psalmist declares that the Lord will “send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice.” When the Lord “remembers” our interaction with him and our earnest desire to know him, I believe He moves quickly to strengthen us in our time of weakness. It is during the times of test and trial that we know that the time spent with the Lord, was not legalistic tradition, but the purposeful development and cultivation of the most enriching relationship we could ever have. This time spent with the Lord serves as an equipping for spiritual warfare. I believe that we will find that this equipping has strengthened us for the times of trouble, and will certainly shine forth brightly in our lives so that others can move through similar test and trials. I am inclined to agree with the psalmist and join with the author by declaring, “we will rejoice in (thy) salvation, and in the name of our God.”
This text reads as a prayer of intercession. Regardless of our respective places, positions, and relationships with God, it behooves each of us to remain constant in prayer. Apart from winning souls to Christ, living a life of holiness and our “good standing” with God, there is still a level of total dependence that the Lord requires. Our dependency on God in large part is supported and cultivated through prayer.
Psalms 20 begins with a cry for deliverance in “the day of trouble.” The defense submitted for the hearer of this psalm was the very name of “the God of Jacob.” By moving from the place of defense to a position and posture of dependency, we bless God on two accounts. First by our recognition of his supreme power, providence and authority, secondly by shifting focus from our dire situation to worship. This shift from horizontal relationship with others, and ourselves to a vertical relationship with God creates a shift in our response to Authority. We begin to walk out our destiny of being in the world but not of the world, fully submitted to the will of God, regardless of the resistance of contemporaries and/or our enemies. We recognize, regardless of our position within and outside the four walls of the church that our first responsibility is to please the Lord. The goal for the believer should be moving beyond the legalistic and natural responses of Christianity found through paying tithes, fasting, or attending worship services, to a relationship with God that requires daily prayer and conversation that requires a sensitive ear. By developing this level of communication with God that exhibits active listening, we are in a better position to “rejoice in salvation,” and walk in complete victory regardless of circumstances.
I am reminded of an Old Testament account of a famine in the land during the time of Joseph (Genesis 41:46-57). While the land was plentiful, he began to store up excess corn and was determined to move into a position of preparedness. He could have chosen to use his hard work to bring increase to his own home, but elected to store and toil for seven years in order to benefit many. I liken this account in Genesis to our actions and responses to God’s spiritual blessings during our times of joy and abundance. The spiritual revelations and blessings that the Lord pours into our lives must be cultivated and “stored” so that when times of disaster come into our lives and the winds of adversity blow, we are not only sustained by those same blessings but also enlightened and elevated by the revelation of scripture. In chapter 20, the psalmist declares that the Lord will “send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice.” When the Lord “remembers” our interaction with him and our earnest desire to know him, I believe He moves quickly to strengthen us in our time of weakness. It is during the times of test and trial that we know that the time spent with the Lord, was not legalistic tradition, but the purposeful development and cultivation of the most enriching relationship we could ever have. This time spent with the Lord serves as an equipping for spiritual warfare. I believe that we will find that this equipping has strengthened us for the times of trouble, and will certainly shine forth brightly in our lives so that others can move through similar test and trials. I am inclined to agree with the psalmist and join with the author by declaring, “we will rejoice in (thy) salvation, and in the name of our God.”
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