David's Prayer for Another in the Day of Trouble: Insights from Psalm 20

Join Reagan as he explores the timeless wisdom of Psalm 20 and its relevance in our lives. Starting with a nostalgic nod to beloved hymns, Reagan delves into the powerful concept of music's ability to transport us. He then transitions into an in-depth examination of Psalm 20, focusing on how David's prayer serves as a blueprint for interceding on behalf of others in times of trouble. Reagan emphasizes the importance of praying for anticipated blessings, the proof of God's past deliverances, and expressing ultimate trust in God's salvation. This sermon invites viewers to reflect on their own prayer life and to consider how they can support others through intercessory prayer.

00:00 Introduction and Opening Prayer
00:21 Reflecting on Music and Memories
02:23 The Greatest Hits of Psalms
05:31 David's Prayer in Psalm 20
06:21 Understanding the 'You' in Psalm 20
09:32 David's Assurance of God's Salvation
12:11 Praying for Others in Their Day of Trouble
17:45 Trusting in God's Ultimate Salvation
34:04 Final Thoughts and Invitation

Transcript

Would you take out your Bible with me, please? And turn to Psalm 19, the 19th Psalm. Psalm 19,

Psalm 19, and we'll read verse one. Before we get into Psalm 20 here, as we go through our lesson. I wanna thank Kyle for leading us in those songs. That was kind of a trip down memory lane for me. I was transported back to Spur Texas as a kid. Those were some of our congregation's favorite songs to sing.

And it's amazing how music has that ability to transport us to a different time in a different place. I'm interested to know who are my music? People, you love songs, listening to songs. We have music people quite a few, right? And so we think about all the different ways that we've listened to songs and albums through the years.

You know, whether it's. Vinyl records or a tracks or CDs or MP threes or Pandora or Spotify. Even today, I finally got to the most recent one, right? We have all of these ways that we listen to songs. And of course now we can kind of pick and choose a little bit what songs we want to sing according to genre or artists that we liken.

AI picks those things out for us based on our preferences. But, you know, for many years, listening to an album was the best we could do. And so Greatest Hits CDs were helpful because every song on there was an absolute banger, right? They were all great, great songs. And so when I was growing up, I had a several greatest hits CDs.

Two that I think I can mention without getting into too much trouble is I had Elvis's ones, right. So that was a. A two cd set that had all of Elvis's number one hits. That was a great, great greatest hits album. I had the Eagles two disc sets of their greatest hits, and I had some others that I won't share with you as well.

But when we think about albums and just albums that are released by artists, very rarely do you have an, an album where every song is a greatest hit, but sometimes. In the midst of the deep cuts are short little songs that pack a punch, and if you listen at just the right time in your life, they can be just as impactful, perhaps even more so than the more famous tracks that everybody knows.

Now, of course I refer to Psalm 19 singular, not Psalms, the 20th chapter or whatever, because these are p songs and prayers that are compiled and each one is an individual psalm or prayer. And so Psalm 19 is self-contained. What we see thinking about greatest hits is through the, the, the late teens and through the twenties into the thirties.

David wrote some of the absolute greatest hits of the Psalms, I mean psalms that you can identify by one verse alone. Let, lemme show you what I mean. Psalm 19 in verse one, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork. Well, we know that Psalm and we recognize it just by that one verse.

What about Psalm 22 in verse one? My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of my groaning, Psalm 23 in verse one, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want Psalm 24 in verse one. The Earth is the Lord's in all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.

What about Psalm 25 and verse 11, for your name's sake? Oh Lord. Pardon my iniquity for it is great. What about Psalm 27 and verse one? The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid. What about Psalm 29 and verse three? One of my personal favorites, the voice of the Lord is over the waters.

The God of glory thunders. The Lord is over many waters. What about Psalm 30 in verse five. This is one that Don mentioned in his meeting with us for his anger is, but for a moment, his favor is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And then one more example, Psalm 32 and verse one.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. I mean. That's a pretty good run, isn't it? And we know, of course, that these psalms were compiled and, and whoever compiled them, I believe, as they were inspired to do so, put these psalms in this order. But it's quite a collection of hits if we go through the teens and twenties into the thirties, and most of these psalms were written by David, but toward the beginning of this run of famous Psalms.

Is a short little Psalm that is easy to miss in the midst of its more famous contemporaries. It's a psalm that as much as I love the Psalms and I love preaching out of the Psalms, it is a psalm that I've never preached on, but I've been thinking about it and meditating on it for the past month or so.

And so I like to share some thoughts with you this evening from Psalm 20, and it goes very well with what we've been considering today with Hannah's prayer and Bible class this morning. With this idea of finding the quiet places for prayer in our sermon. And now this evening, I want us to consider Psalm 20 and David's prayer in the day of trouble.

This is a psalm that is a blessing or several blessings, a prayer and plea from God's anointed one. That's David two. And on behalf of God's individual people. Using God's Anointed one, I believe ultimately using Jesus as proof of what it is God's going to do. Now I've jumped ahead and kind of told you what I think.

Let's, let's back up for just a second and consider how people look at this Psalm. We look at Psalm 20 and you see there, beginning there in verse one. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. Our English translations obscure this just a little bit, but one of the key things that we have to determine, figure out to understand this Psalm correctly, is who is the you who is being talked about here?

Well, it's interesting that the you here is singular. It's not plural, it's not y'all. It's singular. May the Lord. Answer you singular. In the day of trouble, may the name of the God of Jacob defend you singular. So who is this you? Now there are some who suggest it's the people or the priest praying for David specifically.

And so all of the people are saying, may the Lord bless you, David, may he deliver you, David, in your day of trouble. But it could be just the opposite that David is praying, but he's not praying for the people in general. He is praying for an individual person who is facing a day of trouble. Now, I'll tell you, Homer Haley and others take it as the people crying out to their king.

And I think the strongest argument for this is, and the point is well made. Maybe we don't understand the reverence and hope that the people of God saw in their king, especially in David, that this was God's anointed one, and this is the one who's gonna drag them up out of the period of the judges where every man did what was right in his own eyes, and now everybody's gonna follow God like they should.

There was great hope in the house of David for the people of God. And so I'm not discounting that interpretation. I, I will tell you in fact that that is the. Predominant interpretation about this psalm, but a good rule of Bible study is see what you think yourself before you go and read a bunch of other people.

And so I had been studying and thinking about and meditating on Psalm 20. It jumped out to me in some personal reading I was doing, and I said, you know what? I've never preached on this psalm. I wanna preach on this Psalm. And it would go really well with this day where we're gonna talk about prayer and introduce that for our theme.

And so I. I thought about it, I read it a bunch of times. I meditated on it. I kind of put my thoughts down on paper and then I went and started reading other people and I realized that a lot of them disagreed with me. And a lot of them said, well, this is the people or a priest praying on behalf of David.

In fact somebody that I really I really respect, Trumper Longman iii, who is well known for his work in the psalm says this. Interestingly, David is named as the author in the title, and it is not impossible that the king could have composed this song, but it is more likely that the song was recited by a third party on behalf of the king.

Well, that flies in the face of the Psalm heading to the chief musician, a psalm of David. I, I take that at face value that David wrote this psalm and David is the one saying the prayer. And whatever Trumper Longman or Homer Haley or whoever else says, I think the more likely scenario is that David is using his own experience as God's anointed and being saved by God on numerous occasions as evidence of God's future salvation for somebody else who was going through a day of trouble.

Here's what I imagine. I imagine David and his armies are on the eve of a battle. Like every good general or every good King David is going through the camp and he is seeing the men who are, who are nervous about what's gonna happen the next day. It is a day of trouble where they could lose their lives.

And David sees a young man who is particularly troubled about what's going to happen, and he leans down beside him and he says this prayer with him and for him, and then David. He goes back and writes down as he's inspired by the Holy Spirit, the things that he said for this other person, that David is blessing them in the name of the Lord, as is mentioned in verse one, five and seven.

If God did this for me, David is saying he can do this for you too. And so the real title of tonight's lesson is not David's Prayer. In the Day of Trouble, it's David's prayer for another. The day of trouble. And I know for my note takers, I already see some faces. I see you making some faces. You say, I already put the title up here, Reagan.

Now you're making me change it. Well, I have to admit, I kind of did that on purpose a little bit because this I think is the point that David is praying for another, that there is a day of trouble. But David says, Hey, I've been through this. I'm the Lord's anointed. I know if we, if we trust God, if we have faith in him, he will deliver us.

He will deliver you just as he has delivered me. And so the, we would be the soldier and the Psalmist David, who are going into battle together. And so this is a recorded prayer with and on behalf of someone else. So before we read it from that perspective. This is not an intellectual merely an intellectual exercise.

How often, how common is this occurrence for us? For so many of us that we pray on behalf and with someone else, it should be something that is a common occurrence for us. If you've heard me preach for any period of time, you know that I strongly believe that one of our. Primary roles as Christians is to pray for and with one another with the household of faith, but also as spiritual priests.

We have been given the duty and the privilege by God to pray on behalf of others. Even those who are outside of a covenant relationship with him. We are those mediators who are bringing the needs of people before God, and we have a right to come before his throne because we are his people. I believe we have this duty in prayer to pray for and with other people.

And what David does here is gives us a great example of what that should look like as we're praying on behalf of someone else. So let's read it together from that perspective. What can I learn about praying from for others as David prays for another here? So read with me beginning in verse one. To the chief musician, a Psalm of David, may the Lord answer you in the day of trouble.

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen you out of Zion. May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice Sah. May he grant you according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your purpose. We, I believe David says, you and I, we will rejoice in your salvation and in the name of our God.

We will set up our banners in battle. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed. He will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some verse seven, some trust in chariots and some in horses. But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stand upright save Lord. May the king answer us. When we call just on its face, it's a pretty powerful Psalm, isn't it? I would divide this Psalm into three parts that, again, I think are helpful for us. Number one, in verses one through five, we see the anticipated blessings of Yahweh in the day of trouble, the anticipated blessings of Yahweh.

In the day of trouble. This is again calling on God to bless. Notice how he uses this phrase, may he or may the Lord over and over. He uses that phrase in verse one, in verse two, in verse three, in verse four, in verse five, and again in verse nine, David is saying, may the Lord do this. May the Lord bless in this way, and what is it that he asks the Lord to do, to bless?

He says, may the Lord answer. When you call, may the Lord defend you in this day of trouble, may the Lord send you help and strengthen you and remember and accept your offerings. May the Lord grant your desire, fulfill your purpose, and ultimately fulfill all these petitions When we go into battle together, may the Lord grant your prayer.

Now, that's a lot of stuff, isn't it? A lot of things that he says, may the Lord do this and may the Lord do that. But my question is, is that list too much for the Lord? Is that too long for him to be able to answer all of those things? Do we ask the Lord as perhaps we sometimes do in other, other contexts with with people on this earth, do we say, you know, just, just pick your favorite three or pick your top three and just fulfill those and we'll deal with the others later.

Or do we expect, and do we believe that God can answer all of them in his time and in his way in your day of trouble? When things are swirling all around and your heart is not at ease, we need to ask for everything we think we need and not hold back. May the Lord give me all of these things in this moment.

We need to express our desire. We need to cast all our cares on him. We need to, as we talked about this morning, pour out our souls to the Lord. God wants to bless. And if it is for our good that he bless us in all of these ways, then he will. And if it is not for our good, if we are praying that His will be done, he will not because ultimately they would not be blessings.

And so I think we should take something from what it is that David does here and that we should pray the anticipated blessings of Yahweh. In our day of trouble and even more in the day of trouble of someone else when we are praying on their behalf, ask for it all and let the Lord give what he believes and knows is best.

So the anticipated blessings of Yahweh in the day of trouble verses one through five. But if we get to verse six, we see proof of God's blessings. The salvation of his anointed. Again, what I think happens is David prays on behalf of this other one, this other soldier, and he says, I know all these things are in your mind and heart.

May God give you all of those things, and it's almost as if, well, what proof is there that God can or will do this in my life? So David says, verse six. Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed, his anointed one well. At that time, who was the anointed one? Kinda like, you know, a rapper or an athlete, David, speaking of himself in the third person.

Right. Well, I know that God saves David, right? I David know that God saves David. I know that God saves his anointed, he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. David goes back. He prays what is essentially a, a verse of thanksgiving for what the Lord has already done and what he has promised to do in the future.

David says, I'm God's anointed and I know that God has saved before he saved me. And I know that you too are a follower of Yahweh, so the Lord will be be with you as well. Now what proof did David have of that? Well, I don't know. There was that giant named Goliath that he was saved from. There was the lion and the bear when he was tending his father's sheep.

There was Saul on occasion, after occasion after occasion. There were the 10 thousands that David had to slay when he was a soldier in Saul's army and on and on and on. We could go, depending on where this was and the history of David's life. God had delivered him time and time and time again, and some of those troubles.

Because he was the Lord's anointed. And sometimes the day of our trouble is because we are Christians, because we're trying to do what's right and it's in those moments that we should have the most faith that God can and will deliver us. Out of our troubles because God is with us. I like the way the NIV puts it.

Again, we talked about this this morning. The NIV is a dynamic equivalent translation, which means they can add a bunch of words if they want to, if they're trying to get the sense of what the Hebrews really saying. And so the NIV puts it this way in verse six. Now this, I know the Lord gives victory to his anointed.

What David is saying is, you know. I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. May the Lord do all of these things, but, but I'm going back to what I know and what I know is the Lord gives victory to his anointed one. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.

I know this well. What about for us as Christians? What do we know? What do we know with certainty? You know, we don't know the future. We don't know how things are gonna turn out. We don't know how the day of trouble is going to end or if it's going to end in this life. But what do we know? I, I want you to notice something with me in verse six.

It says, now I know New King James, the Lord saves. The Lord Yahweh saves, well, Yahweh saves. In Hebrew is a name. It is the name Joshua in Hebrew. What is that name? In Greek. It's the name that we pronounce Jesus in the opposite order. It's used as an expression in verse nine. Save Yahweh the Lord. Save us is what it's saying.

And. The Holy Spirit ultimately inspired David to write these words, and I think that's a little wink to what's coming next, that God will save. He will save us from our sins and the person of Jesus Christ. However, God saved David and there were many and varied ways that he did save him that led David to use himself as an example.

God's salvation of Jesus from the grave. Is far greater than anything he did for David, and that should be the basis from which we ask anything in our prayers. God, may you do this and do this, and do this and do this. May if it be your will. Do all of those things in my life, but I know,

I know you saved me through Jesus Christ and whatever else. Will be true or might happen or might not happen. I know this now. This I know Jesus saves me. Well, that's a song that we sing from the time we're little bitty. Jesus saves, wait, Jesus loves me. This I know. Well, he saves us too. This I know, and I think it's not just David and looking forward where we see that.

I think we see others looking back in the same way. You turn to Romans chapter eight for just a moment. Mark your spot there in Psalm 20, if you would please

in Romans chapter eight.

Begin reading with me in verse 26. Romans chapter eight and verse 26. As we continue to think about this idea of proof of God's blessings in the salvation of his anointed. Likewise, Paul says, the spirit also helps in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the spirit himself or itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Now, we might disagree on the exact wording of what Paul is saying here, but I think we've all had the experience where we come before God in prayer and we say, God, I don't even know what to pray for. I know that there's a lot of things happening and I kind of have an idea of how I would like things to work out, but I'm really at a loss even what to pray for.

I'm just groaning from my spirit and we believe that God hears and answers even those kinds of prayers as he says in verse 27. Now, he who searches the hearts our hearts, knows the mind of the spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Verse 28, and we know. This, I know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to his chosen, to His elect, to those who are the called according to his purpose for whom he fore knew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, moreover, whom he predestined these, he also called whom he called these.

He also justified and whom he justified these, he also glorified. Paul is saying, here, listen, you don't know what to pray as you should sometimes, but there's intercession that's made through Jesus Christ, even through the groaning of your spirit where things are gonna work out the way God intends for our ultimate spiritual good.

And that is true for those who have been justified, who have been saved in Jesus Christ, but he makes that explicit in verses 31 and 32. What then shall we say to these things? God is for us who can be against us. He please notice verse 32. He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things

Jesus offered himself up. The father offered Jesus up, and if he was willing to save by doing that, isn't he willing to give us all the things that we truly need in our lives? God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus, Jesus himself, we're all willing to deliver Jesus up. How could anything that is good for us be withheld from us?

If we ask and face for those things, yes, proof of God's blessings is in the salvation of his anointed, but it is also in the salvation that it is brought when his anointed was delivered up to be sacrificed, to die, to be buried, and to rise again. And that is our proof of God's blessings in the future based on what he has done in the past.

And if we really believe that. That brings us to the third thing that we see in Psalm 20, that there should be an expression of trust in God's blessing and salvation because of what he has done. Go back to Psalm 20, if you would. Psalm 20. Let's read beginning in verse seven together. David says, Psalm trust in chariots.

Some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. We'll remember his name and his power and his authority. That's all tied up in that idea of his name. He says, some trust in chariots and some in horses. Raise your hand if you trust in chariots and horses today. None of us probably.

Maybe if we ride a little bit, there's some trust in a horse. I don't know. But what this is really saying is some trust in physical means of salvation. Horses and chariots were the most powerful military machinery of the day. And if you had horses and chariots going up against foot soldiers, you felt pretty good about your ultimate victory.

And when David says some trust in horses and some trust in chariots, and they trust in those things, but we trust in the power and authority and name of Yahweh are God. Again, we don't trust in chariots and horses. What kinds of things do we trust in? Well, over spring break, Andy and Sheila and Stephanie and I took a little trip and we were driving back to our Airbnb.

Stephanie and I were, after taking a hike early one morning and, and I feel the car start to vibrate just a little bit, and I'm like, oh, great. You know, I wonder if Texas Farm Bureau Insurance is gonna cover this car in Scotland, you know, is that gonna, is that gonna work out? And then I, I hear this rumbling that's coming from behind.

I'm like, is the back axle about to fall off? What's gonna happen? And then there is, what I thought at the time was an an F 16 just buzzes us over this lock where we were staying. And it's like 150 feet off the ground and it is, well. From my perspective, it is moving. I mean, you can see it right there.

We had to jump out and try and take a picture and you didn't quite catch it, you know, right up there. I thought it was an F 16. I, I learned after the fact that I looked it up and saw what kind of jets that they were using. It was actually an F 35 B fighter jet. Oh man. That, that's something that I might trust in, in a day of battle, right.

That, well, that's horses and chariots. In modern warfare,

what physical things do we trust in tanks and jets and drones perhaps, but do we trust in doctors and medicine and surgery or clean eating and clean living and exercise? Do we trust in stocks and bonds and mutual funds or education, hard work and doing things right? Do we trust in Texas and the USA and Texas?

Do we trust in family and friends and brethren? Those, those, those things are necessary and many of those things are very good and important to our lives. They are not hear me clearly loved ones. They are not ultimately where we should place our trust.

Our trust should be in the Lord our God. We should remember his name, his power, his authority, and all of those other things are secondary to what it is he offers. David makes this contrast in verse eight. They who, they who have trusted in chariots and in horses, they have bowed down, they have fallen. How many times was this true in the history of Israel, but certainly we could look outside of the chosen people of God And how many times did the greater army with greater machinery, with greater whatever numbers, how many times did that army fall and fail?

When the smaller force was victorious, yes, they bowed down and have fallen, but we, we who trust and remember the name of the Lord our God, we have risen. We stand upright. Those people who place their trust in those physical things have fallen and will fall in the future if the world continues. But God's people will always rise again.

Whether in this life or the next, we will rise. Again, because our hope and our trust is ultimately placed in the only one who can raise us no matter what the day of trouble might be. And so in verse nine, he cries out, save. Lord. May the king answer us when we call again. One way to read that last verse.

That the people are crying out to David for salvation. I have a complicated relationship with David. I, I love the Psalms and then I read, we're about to go through the Kings right now, and I read first two Samuel and I say, David, what? What were you doing? What were you thinking? You're God's anointed.

You're a man after God's own heart. And so though, you know, I wouldn't necessarily put it past David to say, oh yeah, the people, you know, they prayed this prayer for me. I'm just gonna throw it in here. Psalm 20, you know, king, save us. Oh, well, I guess I will. I can see it read from that perspective. I, I think it is far more likely that David kneels down and he prays this prayer with this young soldier and he says, may God grant all of your requests.

And I'm God's anointed. I know God saves. He has saved me so many times. Save Yahweh, save Lord. May the true king who sits on his throne in heaven answer us when we call.

Whatever you think young man about how this battle's gonna go, know that I'm not the one who's gonna save you just as chariots and horses aren't gonna be the means of salvation. True salvation and victory is found in the king of heaven. And David as powerful as he was, recognize that there was a greater king, the Lord.

Yahweh saves. And so in my judgment, you're welcome to disagree with me. Welcome to be wrong if you want to do that. What David is doing is anticipating the blessings of Yahweh in the day of trouble with someone else. And the proof he offers is of God's blessings and salvation to him, his anointed. And at the end he expresses this trust in God's blessing and salvation.

But let's. Let's go back to the beginning of our lesson and this idea of praying a prayer on behalf of someone else. May I ask this final question by way of application, is this our prayer for others in their day of trouble? I think David gives us a great outline here. Is this our prayer for others in their day of trouble?

Is this the prayer that we pray by the bedside in the hospital as someone is going through difficult things? Do we pour out our heart on behalf of this person and say, may God grant all of these things, but we trust ultimately in the one who died for us and rose again that he is going to do what is best.

Is this the, the prayer that we pray for our, our baby or our child of any age as we look to their future and what it is that we worry about for them and desire for them, may the Lord give them all of these things, but. On the basis of Jesus Christ and what he has done, we trust the Lord to do what is best for them.

Is this the prayer that we pray for the loved one on a journey? The prayer we pray for a soldier going off to assignment, the prayer we pray for our child going to school. The prayer for a coworker who's overwhelmed, the prayer for the friend who is grieving, who maybe doesn't know the Lord. Do we show them what this kind of prayer looks like by, by taking the initiative to grab their hand and say, let's pray together to the God of heaven, to the king who sits on his throne.

And I know there are so many things in your heart that you want right now. May God give them to you. And, and we go down and we list those things that they desire that are our will that we see would be best. But then we place it in the Lord's hands on the basis of Jesus Christ and what he has done, that we trust that God's blessings and God's salvation will be for our ultimate spiritual good and for there ultimate spiritual good.

May God do this and Jesus' proof that he can, and we believe that he will do what is best if we put our trust and our faith. Well, if you're here this evening and you're not yet a Christian, I've given away all our secrets. We wanna pray with you. We wanna pray for God's blessings in your life. But I want you to know that those blessings ultimately come from having a right relationship with him, a relationship that is based on submission and acceptance of Jesus Christ, not just who he is and what he has done.

Acceptance that he is Lord and Savior of your life. And if you are willing to come in that humble submission to say, I am no longer gonna live for myself, I put off who I used to be in sin and I have turned to God for salvation. There is nothing that would make us happier than to hear that confession that Jesus is Lord and Christ to bury you in a watery grave.

Not to stay there, but to rise again, to walk in newness of life. Having the assurances and promises that only come from being a child of God. And if you're already a Christian tonight and you are in the day of trouble and trial and you need help and support from your brothers and sisters in Christ, maybe you come now to the front so that we can pray for you and pray with you.

But may I suggest at the very least that you reach out to a fateful brother or sister in Christ who can pray a prayer like this on your behalf, knowing that the God. King in heaven hears and answers that prayer. We can help you in any way tonight. Once you come while together, we stand and while we sing.