Trust God
Opening Prayer
God, without You I would be without hope, but I know that You listen when I call.
Read PSALM 20:1–9
[1] For the director of music. A psalm of David. 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! Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What are the promises contained in the psalm?What struggles has this last week brought to you? Here is a royal psalm which brings assurance of God’s help for his people. Read it again slowly, applying the psalmist’s words to your own situation: “Answer us when we call!” (9). Though King David and his people were under attack, they had supreme confidence that, as God’s people, he would not let them down. Far from Zion (2) and centuries later, this psalm may have also been said or sung by Queen Esther and her people as they remembered Jerusalem. The calm trust and courage of Esther and Mordecai which we’ve been reading about this last week certainly demonstrated a confidence that God would give his people victory (6–9). And this psalm, as so much of the Old Testament, has a whispered clue to the coming of Jesus—the Lord’s anointed, the Messiah (6)—who would bring ultimate victory. It’s a victory we are privileged to share in too. Look out for some of these words and ideas in the psalm: “answer,” “protect,” “help,” “joy,” “success,” “victory,” “trust.” How might these help you in your own difficulties?
Apply
Lay down the burdens of the week and come to God, trusting that he hears and answers.
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