Victorious Hope – Hope Wins – Day 8

King David had successfully united the Israelites and led them to many victories against their enemies. (You can find more more details in 1 Chronicles 19 and 2 Samuel 10.) In this specific battle, the Ammonites hired mercenaries to come wipe out David’s army of foot soldiers with 32,000 chariots and horses. In light of this formidable  threat, David cries out to God for help. He recognized that the Lord was attentive to His needs and went to the sanctuary to pray about the current need. He declares the proper place to put his trust – the name of the one True God. The victory was amazing! God delivered them from another overwhelming onslaught . What I love most about this passage is that he wrote this psalm before the battle ever took place. Now that will preach!

Tie a Knot and Hang On

Sometimes you don’t know how to begin to pray when you’re desperate.There may be no words to frame your despair and you don’t know where to turn. I love this first verse of Psalm 20 in the Voice version: “May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you, when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.” If you are hanging on by what feels like a thread, God will find and rescue you. Many times these are heart whispers rather than formal prayers. It goes on to say, “May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.” There is so much power in the name of Jesus. I remember in the first days of grieving the death of my husband the only prayer I could pray as a cried myself to sleep was, “Jesus.” I would drift to sleep in a safe place of refuge and awake renewed and ready to start a new day.

If you are facing an impossible situation you will find powerful principles in this Psalm. While you may not be facing 32,000 armored tanks there are situations where you feel like there is no way to win. You may be facing a difficult relationship issue with your spouse, a child or a boss. You may have just lost your job. You may be taking care of someone who is ill. You may be facing bad news from your doctor on your prognosis for the future. You want to run from it all. Instead, do exactly what David did. It starts with the confidence found in verse four where it says, “May He grant the dreams of your heart and see your plans through to the end.” Hope comes from the confidence that God’s good plan will be fulfilled no matter what it looks like right now. He wants to see you fulfill your dreams even if it means you have to face the enemy. Verse five says, “When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!” It is important to know that David recognizes that God is the one who wins rather than taking credit for the victory. There is already the plan of how he will celebrate the win with shouts and raising banners. Verse 6 tells it all, “I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal: heaven will respond to his plea; His mighty right hand will win the battle.” Some say that this is a reference to the Messiah as the anointed of God. It may also be that David is remembering when Samuel had to send for him to come to be anointed King. There is the same confidence he had as a lad when protecting the sheep or fighting a giant with a slingshot. He had faced overwhelming odds before and knew this time would be no different.

David talks about those who are foolish enough to boast in their human efforts. His enemy hired chariots and horses to defeat him yet he refuses to be intimidated. He is not ignoring the reality of the situation he’s simply saying in verse seven, “There are those out there who are boasting in their chariots, others are bragging about all their horses but we put our hope in the Name of the True God.” The word  translated as trust is the Hebrew word ‘chacah’ that also means to find hope as come from a place of absolute trust because you are safely in a place of refuge. He clearly sees that their enemies are on the road to ruin. They will fall while the people who trust in the Lord will rise and stand firm. Victory is secure because they have placed their trust in the right source.

Thank you, Lord, that you are eager to rescue us when we most need You. Lord, I’m hanging on for dear life and need to find a place of refuge. I am so thankful that I can whisper Your name and know that You are attentive to my overwhelming need right now. I know that as I seek You that You extend hope and help to support me in the midst of it all. I know You are fulfilling Your plan in all of this. That is the reason that I make the commitment to go ahead and prepare the banners to celebrate the victory that is ahead for us. I do not have to shrink in fear. Instead, I look forward to the miracles that will come our way as You respond to my cries for help.  I resist the temptation to solve this issue on my own. I will not boast in human effort but will put all my hope and confidence in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.