WHAT
ARE YOU SINGING TODAY?
Psalm
20
1 May the Lord answer you in the
day of trouble!
May the name of the God of
Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the
sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your
offerings
and regard with favor your burnt
sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart's
desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your
salvation,
and in the name of our God set up
our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your
petitions!
6 Now I know that
the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might 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 collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.
This psalm
of David seems to be a song of preparation, as the king went to battle. We find
a request to God for His help, confidence in the saving power of the LORD, and
total dependence on Him.
The
children of Israel, as they sang this inspired song, were reminded of their
necessary relationship to God and their need to pray for their king and nation.
Today,
our wars are different. We don’t live in a theocratic nation, and
we are
not Israel. But we are still totally
dependent on God. If our lives were more similar in dependence, behavior, and
trust, then we would certainly conduct our lives in a much more godly way.
Every
trial in our lives should be accompanied by much prayer. Our responsibility is to
pray fervently and faithfully for those going through trials. We hear of the
needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, but often we pray for them just
for a minute, or forget to altogether. Why do I know? Because I tend to do that
too often, myself.
As the
Israelites sang and prayed, they were reminding each other about the power,
love, and sovereignty of their God.
They
were asking God to come to their aid in times of trouble. Trouble is real and
the need of His protection is necessary. In the first verses of the prayer,
there is a rehearsal of the life of worship and obedience they had lived. As
they sang, I believe they were reminded of the need of faithfulness in their
daily lives. Their ability to pray according to God’s sovereign will depended
on their daily walk.
We are
reminded of these same truths by James:
James
4:2-3
…You do not have, because you do not
ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to
spend it on your passions.
And
again by John:
1 John
5:13-15
13 I write these things to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have
eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward
him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears
us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know
that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Our
prayer life must be informed by the Scriptures. Our prayers should be aligned with
God’s purposes and will. How often we pray for God to provide comfort and ease
to our life, more than we seek to be made more like Christ and to fulfill our
purpose of reaching the lost.
The
children of Israel desired that in the day of their salvation it would be clear
that God was the One Who would be worshipped and praised.
Their
confidence in God was demonstrated by Whom they were trusting, as they went to
battle. Their trust was in His name and not in their own strength or abilities.
Most people, as they went to war, counted their chariots and their horses. They
compared them to the enemies’ assets and went to war, confident in their
perceived superiority. God’s people went to war assured of God’s power and
aware of their lack of strength. As we read the Old Testament, we are overwhelmed
with examples of God leading the Israelites to victory when the odds were
against them. We also have the sad examples of times when they relied on their
own strength and were soundly defeated.
As you
are praying through your trials, are you looking at your resources as cause of
discouragement or hope? Are you trusting in human resources, or in the power of
God? Are you despairing because your situation seems too overwhelming? Are you
looking to people to come to your aid and consequently feeling discouraged or
bitter? Are you looking to a relative, friend, or even the government to
provide solace for your needs?
The
Israelites didn’t seem to learn quickly, but their lessons came frequently, in
order to teach them total confidence in God.
Trusting God required that they depend totally on Him for the outcome.
They needed to trust the wisdom and ability of God to provide help in their
time of trouble.
They
knew that in the end, God’s purposes would be fulfilled and that God would be
beside them, both during and after their trial.
Where
are you today? Is your trust wavering about God’s ability to take care of you?
Are you looking at your resources instead of God’s provision? Are you looking
at your enemies with bitterness and anger? Are you tempted to think that
praying faithfully for those who are going through difficulties is not worth
much, and you wish you could do more?
Or are you helping your brothers and sisters in Christ to maintain a godly
perspective in their trial?
Is your
song today a song of dependent worship, or is it a sad song of lament? May your
song sound like Psalm 20!
No comments:
Post a Comment