May The Lord Answer You When …
In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. Psalm 20:1
How do you feel when you know someone is praying for you? Early in our ministry, while serving as children’s evangelists, a dear saint lifted us up in prayer every morning.
We will never know the impact of her prayers. Could they have averted potential car accidents or protected us from sicknesses? We certainly appreciated her gift of prayer.
The contents of Psalm 20 prays for the one in power. Attributed as a Psalm of David, it contains a prayer for David, which could include other leaders, even us.
In the first five verses, the word “may,” as in “may the Lord.” is used seven times. The word means an expression of possibility, a permissive choice to act or not.
So, those praying have sent the king out with the blessing of what they would like God to do for him. Thus, verse one seeks the possibility of God hearing the King’s cry in his time of trouble.
May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem. May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude Psalm 20:2-3
In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the temple located in Jerusalem. God’s power and presence resided there. People would also bring their gifts and offerings to that city as well.
May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4
Each of the things they prayed as they asked “may the Lord . . .” represented prayers of blessings. In other words, by faith, they said these are the things and directions God may give you.
We Must Trust God to Receive His Blessings
The recipients, whether David or any other leader, by faith trust God and receive those blessings. Similarly, we do the same thing when we receive a benediction.
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Number 6:24-26
The Psalmist began by making expressions of personal enrichment. He suggested a celebration of the fulfillment of his suggestions.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers. Psalm 20:6
The Psalmist moved from personal blessings, to celebrating the fulfillment of the blessings to proclaiming his faith in God.
Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. Psalm 20:7
This brings up an essential point. When you bless someone, be sincere. Don’t send someone away with a blessing if you don’t believe it.
How would you like your pastor to end a service by saying, “I don’t know why I’m saying this, but go with the blessing of the Lord.” Trust God for His blessings and pass them on to others.
The Psalmist believed the Lord had the power to rescue His anointed one. Then, he compared those who trust the Lord with those who don’t.
Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:8
Nations who possessed horses and chariots may have been powerful but not enough to overtake the Lord. Those nations will collapse. May you continually boast in the name of the Lord.
May YOU Trust in the Lord
Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm. Psalm 20:9
When we pray the words, “May the Lord . . .” let’s make sure we direct our prayer to God’s will. The Psalmist knew that God approved everything he prayed.
As Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness, he hit some pretty rough times. He tried to stay in the center of God’s will, but Psalm 90 records him looking for God’s approval.
May the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! Psalm 90:17
Let’s see what the Bible says about other blessings we can receive. We can find those types of verses in both the Old and New Testaments. We’ve mentioned some from the Old Testament.
May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 115:14-15
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. Thessalonians 3:16
May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you. 2 Timothy 4:22
These represent just a few of the blessings God wants you to enjoy. But we must also look at the other side of the coin. The Lord wants you to pass blessings along to others in the name of Jesus.
Bless Others
In fact, the more you bless others, the more blessed you will feel. Have you ever noticed that? It happens to us all the time.
When visiting sick people to encourage and pray for them, they often end up blessing us. But that’s how the Lord works, by one blessing deserving another.
May the Lord bless you and encourage you to reach out to others with a blessing. And may the Lord guide your steps and give you victories every day.
Check out these related posts dealing with blessings
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