Psalm 20 is a wonderful prayer of blessing. One of my favorite things to do with a psalm is to use it as a guide for my own prayer time. This psalm was originally written as a blessing for the king of Israel but why not pray this blessing over someone you know or use it as a guide to ask for God's blessing on your life?
Are you looking for God's blessing on your life? Do you have a friend who needs a special touch from God?
Pray this psalm.
Structure
This psalm divides into two exactly equal sections of 33 Hebrew words each. The first half is a blessing addressed to the king. The second half is a proclamation of trust in the High King. Verse 9a is the only part of the psalm actually addressed directly to God. This change of address is used by the psalmist to highlight this phrase asking the Great King to protect his king.
The Blessing
Psalm 20:1-5
In this section the psalmist asks for five blessings. They are written in five couplets expressing the same request in two different ways. The psalmists asks God to:
| 1 | Answer your prayer for help | Protect you |
| 2 | Help you | Support you |
| 3 | Remember your sacrifices | Accept your offerings |
| 4 | Give you the desire of your heart | Make your plans succeed |
| 5 | We shout for joy for his help | Grant all your requests |
Notice that the 5 blessings are expressed using the word "may" seven times. Since the number 7 is often used to express perfection, this might have been a subtle way for the psalmist to say this was a perfect blessing.
Proclamation of Trust
Psalm 20:6-9
The second section of the psalm is a declaration of faith in the Lord to save.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the LORD our God.
We may no long put our trust in horses and chariots but it is still so easy to put our trust in something other than our great God. Instead of chariots, we trust in money. Instead of horses, we believe in our own hard work. Instead of looking to the Lord for victory, we look to the latest success techniques.
Where have you placed your trust? Is it in God who gives the victory or some worldly means?
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
Let's put our trust in God and be among those who rise up and stand firm.
This post is part of a series on the Psalms.
by Jerry Wyrick, President of Worship Arts Conservatory