Psalm 20 – In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
3 May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
4 May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.
6 Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
8 Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.
9 Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help. (NLT)
The title of Psalm 20 is the same as a number of others: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. This psalm, however, is different in nature than the other psalms by the same title. The difference in this psalm is that it is written in the first-person plural. In other words, a group of people were offering up this prayer for King David.
This would explain verse four: “May he/God grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.” If we were to take this verse out of context, one would be led to believe that God grants to everyone who asks whatever they desire. Thanks be to God that God does not grant us whatever we desire, for how much have we desired that would not have been any benefit to our well being? To place verse four into its proper context, let us note 1 Samuel 13:14, which speaks of David – “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people.” It is right to pray for our heart’s desire – when what we are after is also found in the Lord’s heart.
Does God grant us whatever we desire? Only when our hearts are aligned with God will God grant us our hearts desire. The New Testament speaks of this: James 4:8 – Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world (NLT); and 1 John 5:21 – Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts (NLT).
Today, let us examine our hearts. Let us not have our loyalties divided, but let us seek after the Lord’s heart.
Posted by Ramón Torres
🙏🙏🙏