A PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S POWERFUL PRESENCE DURING TIMES OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

“May The Lord answer you … May He send you help … May He remember all your sacrifices … May He give you the desires of your heart … 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.”  Psalm 20:1-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to be sung by the people to honor himself when he was about to go to war.  This was part of the prayer and praise that the people did for their king before the holy wars.  They wanted The Lord God to uphold, support, and sustain their king-general during a military campaign.

Application:

A day or time of trouble is an opportunity for The Lord God to demonstrate His glorious power to the world as He comes to the aid of His believers.  As we go through the storms of life, we want The Lord God to hear and answer our prayers, to help us during our struggles, to remember our past service and obedience, and to grant us the victory over whatever the problem.  This is our prayer for ourselves and the prayer that we want others to pray for us.  We want The Lord’s powerful presence with us during the storms. (Psalm 46:1)  We want Him to fight our battles so we know that we will be victorious. (2 Chronicles 20:17)  If the things that we desire and ask Him for gives God glory, then we will receive them. (Matthew 21:22, John 16:24, James 4:3, and 1 John 3:22)

PRAY THIS PRAYER FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Proclamation:

"May The LORD answer you when you are in distress; may ... God ... protect you.  May He send you help ... and grant you support.  May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your ... offerings.  May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."  Psalms 20:1-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm of David was a prayer which was usually sung before a battle.  Those who were facing difficult times wanted God to answer their prayers of distress, to protect them, to help and support them.  They wanted God to remember their past sacrifices and to allow their present plans to succeed.

Application:

This prayer seem appropriate for us today for we want the same things.  We want God to hear us, to protect us, and help us.  We want Him to remember the good that we have done.  We also want Him to grant us the desires of our heart.  We want these things not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones.   Even if our only battle is with the devil and his demons, or with our trials, tribulations, and temptations, prayer is our most powerful weapon and we should use it more often.  We should pray this prayer for ourselves and for our family and friends.

THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

Proclamation:

“Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” Psalm 37:4-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of King David as he addresses the inheritance of the righteous versus the calamity which will befall evil doers.  He said that the evil men will be cut down like grass and will wither away. (Psalm 37:1-2)  Those who commit themselves to The Lord, follow Him, trust Him, and delight in Him will be given the desires of their heart.

Application:

If you are not getting what you want out of life, maybe it is because you want the wrong things.  If your prayers are not being answered, maybe it is because you are asking for the wrong things.  While talking to His disciples directly, and to the surrounding crowd indirectly, during His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7-8)  However, this will only happen if what we want will give God glory. (James 4:2-3)  This will also only happen for those who believe in Him, delight in Him, commit to Him, and trust in Him.  To those who get great pleasure in talking to Him, learning more about Him, and in reading His Holy Word will He give the desires of their heart.  The non-believers and evil doers who call upon The Lord will be told to depart from Him. (Matthew 7:23)  Believers who love Him and want to give God glory will be blessed with the desires of their heart.

Ask And Receive The Desires Of Your Heart

"Delight yourself in The LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The LORD; trust in Him and He will do this ..."  Psalms 37:4-5 (NIV)

This psalm was recorded by King David, a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), to the believers to exhort them to delight themselves in The Lord and to trust in Him.  David said that if they did this, The Lord would give them the desires of their heart.

If we delight in The Lord, He will give us that which our heart desires.  However, if we truly delight in The Lord, in His way and in His Word, then that which we desire will be the right things, things that are in keeping with His will.  We have not because we ask not, or because we ask for the wrong things. (James 4:2)  If we trust Him, whatsoever we ask for, in the name of Jesus, will be given to us, as long as what we desire and ask for gives God glory. (John 14:13)

Trust In The Lord And Do Good

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in The LORD and do good...Delight yourself in The LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to The LORD; trust in Him and He will do this...Be still before The LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil...But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace...Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked...If The LORD delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for The LORD upholds him with His hand...Turn from evil and do good...For The LORD loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. They will be protected forever...The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.  The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip... Wait for The LORD and keep His way.  He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it...Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace...The salvation of the righteous comes from The LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.  The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."  Psalms 37:1-40 (NIV)

In this psalm, King David encouraged the people to trust in The Lord, and to do that which is good and right.  For those who commit and submit to the will of The Lord, will be given the desires of their hearts.  He told them not to worry about, or be concerned with, those who prosper and get ahead by doing wrong.  The evil doers will be destroyed.  David also told them to turn away from evil, and to do that which is good and right, and they will be rewarded.

Believers who delight in The Lord will receive the desires of their hearts.  If The Word of God is in our hearts, then The Lord God will guide our steps. (Psalms 37:23 and 31)  It is better to be poor and righteous than to be wealthy and wicked.  Those who wait on The Lord and keep His Word, will be exalted.  Therefore, trust in The Lord and do that which is right.

Store Up Treasures In Heaven

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

The Apostle Matthew recorded these words, which were part of The Sermon on The Mount which Jesus spoke to His disciples, and to the surrounding crowd.  Jesus said that man should not store up treasures here on earth, but rather he should store up treasures in heaven.  Then He told them that their heart and focus will be where ever their treasure is located.

Our treasures are the things that we value, cherish, esteem, desire, love, and delight in having.  Earthly treasures are only ours temporarily.  It does not matter how we protect them, or how much we amass and store up, they will not last and they are not secure.  If our purpose for storing up treasures on earth is to prepare for our future benefit and enjoyment, then we ought to be smart enough to prepare for our eternal future.  The point of these verses is that we should not put our faith in money and things that are here on earth.  We are to use our time, talents, and treasure in kingdom building efforts, which have eternal implications.  Believers do not earn their salvation, but by their behavior they can earn heavenly rewards. (Matthew 5:12, 10:41 and 16:27, Luke 6:35, 1 Corinthians 3:8 and 3:14, and Revelation 22:12)  Where our treasure is, that is where our focus is also.  We should focus on that which is Christ-like and heavenly. (Philippians 4:8)  We need to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven.

A Good Prayer To Remember

"May The LORD answer you when you are in distress; may ... God ... protect you.  May He send you help ... and grant you support.  May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your ... offerings.  May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."  Psalms 20:1-4 (NIV)

This psalm of David was a prayer which was usually sung before a battle.  Those who were facing difficult times wanted God to answer their prayers of distress, to protect them, to help and support them.  They wanted God to remember their past sacrifices and to allow their present plans to succeed.

The prayer seem appropriate for us today for we want the same things.  We want God to hear us and help us.  We want Him to remember the good that we have done.  We also want Him to grant us the desires of our heart.  We want these things not only during this holy day season, but all throughout the year.  Even if our only battle is with the devil and his demons, or with our trials, tribulations, and temptations, prayer is our most powerful weapon and we should use it more often.  We should pray this prayer for ourselves and for others.