Week of May 11

Two keys to victory in any battle include piety and God’s power, according to the psalmist. Not many of us would add these to a “Top 5” list of leadership requirements. This fact begs a question about whether we may apply the same principles of warfare to the daily challenges we face. Surely, God knows our battles, and He is more than able to help. He provides strength for the challenge when we worship Him, despite our trials, and rely upon His power. Let’s examine this psalm closely today and learn how we may lean more completely upon the Lord when we are faced with enormous challenges.

The psalm was likely composed prior to a battle, and the psalmist prays for victory in the upcoming conflict. Most of us have never been faced with a life and death situation like this one, but we can imagine the fear that would well up within the heart of the most seasoned soldier. The principle actor that catches my eye in this context and life event is the king. The psalm indeed has been classified as a “royal psalm,” because it is the king himself who is going into battle. Israel’s kings would often accompany their troops into a conflict, so it helps us to know that even kings have fears! We, too, can follow the prayer framework this king used to call on the Lord when we are afraid.

Cry out to the Lord for help. The psalmist first asks the Lord to give the king victory in battle (vv. 1-5). He then expresses his confident belief that the Lord will be with him and grant the victory (vv. 6-8). Then he closes with a repetition of the request (v. 9). We may quickly identify with the psalmist because the bookends around the hymn state, “the Lord answer you” and “answer us when we call.” The troubled leader simply wants some indication that God will render help and provide rescue. Surely we have been in a similar position of need. Let’s dig deeper into the meaning of the psalm for we also need the full nourishment that its fruit will give to us.

Seek God’s honor in your trial. We need to keep in mind that an enemy has attacked, or is soon to attack, but it is the “royal glory” that is in the psalmist’s view. The Lord’s honor is threatened, and we come close to praying the same thing when we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The heartbeat of the psalm rests in verse 6, where the petitions focus on God granting victory to His anointed (i.e. “messiah”; EBC). We may express similar concern in our personal distress by petitioning Jesus to establish fully His messianic kingdom where “every knee will bow” (v. 8; cf. Philippians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 15:25-26; EBC). There is one other thing that we also need to recognize when we are praying through this psalm. 

Trust God to deliver you from evil. We have all prayed the Lord’s prayer and petitioned Him to deliver us from evil, but fail to realize the depth of that heart cry. The psalmist calls upon the “God of Jacob” to save them. This refers of course to the Lord who delivered Israel (“Jacob”) from Egypt (Exodus 19:3-4), and who deals justly with His people (cf. Psalm 146:5-10). This reminds me of the 23rd Psalm, where David walks through the valley of the shadow of death, a true low point in his experience. There are times when we are as low as we can be, so we are encouraged to sing out for God to protect us. Israel prayed for God to do this by raising up their king and giving him the victory. We may do the same by praying for Christ’s kingdom to be established, knowing that we will benefit from the eradication of evil.

I recall reading that some people who must live under the tyranny of oppressive regimes, where journalism is strictly controlled, have made it their practice to put their articles into songs! Repressive regimes around the world censor the press, so banned journalistic articles are being turned into pop songs. It seems that streaming music services are freely available, even when “social media and search engines are banned,” so journalists are spreading the news via song. Satan himself surely finds great joy when evil people and regimes seek to stifle our Christian voices. So, the psalmist would say, “Sing!”—“O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!”

1. Take time today to apply the fears and frustrations of your heart to a favorite praise tune. Pour out your heart’s cry to the Lord through praise. Make it your weekly practice to pray for our national crises through this psalm.

2. For Families: What a delightful practice to put into our daily prayer life! We can sing our praises of joy as well as our songs of struggle or mourning. We can turn our prayers into ballads.

Ask your kids, have they ever prayed to God to give them victory? In a hard test? In an athletic competition? In a fearful situation with someone who might harm them or say ugly things against them?

Explain to your children how this psalmist asked God for victory, thanked Him for it, and longed to keep God’s honor through his own struggles in the battle. And share how the king sang his prayer! Ask your kids to compose a song of prayer and sing it for the family at suppertime. May God strengthen our families and comfort us as we walk our days together with Him.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock