1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. (Yes Lord, Amen!)
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion. (Yes Lord, Send us Help!)
3 MAY HE REMEMBER ALL YOUR SACRIFICES
and accept your burnt offerings. Psalm 20, of David
David wrote at least half of the Psalms, the longest book in the Bible. He continually cried out to God for help from his enemies and that is reflected in his writings. But David’s psalms were also written encourage all the others who would read them to call out to God in their own times of distress. ‘May the Lord answer you, may He send you help and may He remember your sacrifices.’ MAKING OFFERINGS TO THE LORD IS LIKE AN INVESTMENT, but not in the things of this world. (Personally, I think we should NEVER GIVE IN ORDER TO RECEIVE FROM THE LORD. WRONG MOTIVES MAY BLOCK BLESSING, GOD DOESN’T NEED OUR SACRIFICES, BUT HE DOES REMEMBER THEM!) The offerings we give to the Lord here are recorded in heaven and may be returned to us in future blessings.
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked.
The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a MEMORIAL OFFERING BEFORE GOD. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. Acts 10
Cornelius, like David, was a military man, a centurion in the Italian Regiment. Cornelius’ prayers and offerings had come up as a memorial before God and an angel came and told him to send for Peter. Cornelius, his family and friends were the first recorded gentiles to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. (It’s interesting that David was not allowed to build God’s temple in Jerusalem because of bloodshed, but Cornelius, another soldier, WAS CHOSEN to receive the Spirit).
7 SOME TRUST IN CHARIOTS AND SOME 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
David concludes the psalm with a reference to the military weapons of the day, but like Cornelius he saw beyond this physical realm. Both men, separated by centuries in time, looked beyond mere military might to an all knowing and all powerful God. In the final verse, David, as is often the case in his psalms, calls to God for complete victory over the enemy. We so need this mentality in the days ahead, God wants to help us take down our enemy and His enemy. David often felt overwhelmed, but then rose up in faith to declare complete victory.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.