Psalms 20:1

The Bible says in Psalms 20:1-2, “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; [2] Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” Verse one speaks of “the day of trouble.” Life can be like a roller coaster. One day you might be on top, and another day you might be cast down. Life has its sorrows and troubles. Verse one says, “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble.” That implies that you will call on the Lord for help. If you are a wise person, you will do that. Just like Peter who was sinking in the waves: Peter called upon the Lord Jesus and Jesus helped him. We need help in this life. Draw close to the Lord now when things are going well, because you will need Him when things are not so well. Just “the name of the God of Jacob” will defend you. His name is powerful when spoken with respect and honor. His name is wonderful. “Take the name of Jesus with you, child of weakness and of woe. It will joy and comfort give you. Take it then where’er you go.” Verse one says that we need God to “defend” us. Verse two says that we need God to “help” us and to “strengthen” us. And so these two verses tell us some of the benefits of trusting in the Lord. You will be defended, helped, and strengthened if call upon the name of the Lord to trust in Him.

Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.” The sacrifices of the Old Testament were required as a part of the law as a reminder to the Israelites that they were sinners and needed to be forgiven of their sins through the concept of a sacrifice. In the New Testament time in which we live, we know for certain that God accepts our sacrifice because Jesus is our sacrifice. Jesus gave His precious blood so that we could be forgiven. We know that the Father accepts the sacrifice of His Son for us.

The Bible says in Psalms 20:4, “Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.” God loves us, and God loves to hear from us. God loves to give us the desires of our hearts. Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” The last part of Psalm 20:4 is a prayer that God would “fulfil all thy counsel.” If you are rightly-related to the Lord Jesus, He will bless the decisions that you make. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The Bible says in Psalms 20:5, “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.” David said, “We will rejoice in thy salvation.” Rejoicing is a decision. Once you are saved through faith in Jesus, it is up to you to rejoice in your salvation because you choose to do that. It should be easy to rejoice in your salvation because of all that the Father and Jesus did to purchase your salvation. God sent His only Son to die on the cross of Calvary just for you. And so when David says, “in the name of our God we will set up our banners,” David is saying that David wants to honor God’s name and broadcast the name of Christ out of thankfulness to what the Lord has done. A “banner” is what you display and what you advertise. Once again David expresses his desire that your prayers would be answered by writing, “the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.” Answers to prayer are tied to rejoicing in your salvation and being a faithful witness for the Lord Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 20:6, “Now know I that the Lord seeth his anointed: he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.” This verse expresses tremendous confidence in the Lord. The Lord sees us. There is a line in an old song: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He seeth me.” This implies that He is there for us. God knows what is happening to us. He knows what we are going through, and He is going to do something about it. You are not alone. Never alone. And of course verse six expresses great confidence that God answers prayer: “he will hear him from his holy heaven.” God has the power to save. There is no situation that is too hard for Him because God has “saving strength.”

The Bible says in Psalms 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” David was a king, and he had an army. That means that he had chariots and horses. King David was prepared, but he did not trust in the military. David trusted in “the name of the Lord our God.” God’s name stands for who He is. His name is “Jesus,” and the word “Jesus” means “Savior.” Of course, Jesus will save all those who trust in Him. Notice that David said that he needed to “remember” the name of the Lord. One way to make sure that you have faith in God is to remember what you need to remember. The next time that you are in a difficult situation, remember the name of the Lord and what His name means. Jesus is the Savior. He will save.

The Bible says in Psalms 20:8, “They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen and stand upright.” Whom do you think are in the best place and will have the best outcome: those who serve the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ or those who do not? The ungodly will be brought down. They will fall all the way to hell. The believers might be cast down sometimes while on this earth, but we will rise. We will join the resurrection of the just. We will follow Jesus all the way to heaven, and we will rule with Him.

The Bible says in Psalms 20:9, “Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.” Every time something attacks us in this world of woe, we need help. We need divine help. Notice that David called the Lord “the king.” Jesus is the King of kings. Everyone should view the Lord as being above them and over them and in charge of them. Jesus is King, but He is a kind and compassionate King. He will hear us when we call, and He will save us. That is why it says about the salvation of the soul in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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