TRUSTING INTERCESSION

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 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.

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. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!

Psalm 20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever prayed for another in need or have had someone pray for you when you were in need? There’s something special about the selfless nature of thinking of another ahead of yourself.

Indeed, prayers of intercession are some of the most powerful prayers we can pray, particularly when a righteous person, a person right with God, prays over a certain situation. Consider these words from James:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:14-16

As we consider the matter of praying for another, we witness the matter first hand as we read the 20th Psalm. In it, we find the people of Israel lifting up prayers for their king David. Up to this point, we have read plenty of petitions that David has made for the people he rules. It’s interesting how we see them now reflect the very actions of their ruler, revealing how much of a positive impact had on them.

So what did the people pray for? What did they ask the Lord to give David? Let’s look closer at the psalm.

The people began by asking the Lord to answer David when he found himself in distress. We have already seen where David was up against a number of enemies, several of which were trying to kill him. We have also seen where David had cried out the Lord for assistance in the midst of trouble. His people were urging the Lord to hear David’s cry and then answer it.

What did they ask for?

Protection: “May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.”

Help: “May He send you help from the sanctuary.”

Support: “May He grant you support from Zion.”

Protection, help and support. These are some of the things we pray for when we intercede for the needs of others. They are fundamental elements of life that sustain us in good times and bad. David’s people could have stopped there and would have asked for enough but they weren’t quite yet finished praying for their leader. Let’s look at their other pleas:

“May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.”

A faithful man after God’s own heart, David was loyal to the required sacrifices prescribed by God’s commands and had adhered to them. His people knew this and prayed for the God to remember and accept the sacrifices as an atonement for the sins David committed.

“May He give you the desire of your heart. May the Lord grant all your requests.”

We all have desires of the heart. David was no different and his people hoped that they would be fulfilled.

God does bless us and often those blessings do fulfill the desires of our hearts. The key is that our desires need to match up with His. Not all desires are acceptable to God and so we need to make sure that what we ask for is in tune with His will for our lives. When they are, then we can expect God to give us what we long for.

“May He make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.”

David had plans for ruling the people of Israel and they prayed for these plans to prosper and succeed. And succeed he would as long as he ensured his plans were in alignment with God’s plans for his rule. For when this alignment happened, then David would be assured victory and his people would be able to experience the joyful celebration they prayed for, a victory not celebrated in the name of David but rather in the name of God to whom all glory should be ascribed.

Indeed, the people knew that the “Lord gives victory to His anointed”, answering them “from His heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand.” The Lord does not let his appointed leaders fail as long as they stay faithful and loyal to Him. The people knew this and they also knew the Lord would deliver on all of His promises. They knew because they had placed their faith and trust in Him.

Yes, the people of Israel had their full trust in God and God alone. While others might trust in their own might and power, in chariots and horses, the people of God placed their trust in His Holy Name. Period. And while those who trusted in their own strength were brought to their knees in failure, God’s people would rise up and stand firm in victory.

Friends, the Lord speaks to us powerfully through this Psalm. For not only are we reminded of the amazing power of intercessory prayer, but we’re also reminded that the intercession means nothing unless prayed in faithful trust to the God who answers our prayers, the God who protests, helps, supports, remembers us, grants us our desires when they are His desires, and leads us to success in His name for His glory.

This is the God we serve. This is the God we pray to. All glory, honor and praise be unto His holy and precious name!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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