I’ve been meditating on Psalm 20 this week. Before we started our social media fast, I came across some artwork on Instagram that illuminated Psalm 20:4-5. The verses have stuck with me for days.
“May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. 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.”
At first, I felt like this was a nice thought. Who wouldn’t want the Lord to grant our heart’s desires and make our plans succeed? Sounds good to me!
In digging a little deeper, I realized this Scripture is the prayer of the people for King David. We know that King David was called a man after God’s own heart, so we can be confident that his heart’s desires and plans were pleasing to the Lord.
As I’ve meditated on it, I have been convicted to ask if the desires of my heart and all my plans and prayers are pleasing to the Lord. Sometimes we can look back and be thankful for God’s protection in not giving us what we have asked for in the past. How can we know that our desires are pleasing to God? How can we be confident that if he fulfills our plans, it will be a good thing?
David shares his secret in Psalm 37:4-5. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”
When we recount the goodness of God, we become confident that we can count on Him again today.
The first thing that helps me delight in the Lord is to remember how good He is!
So often I come to him with all my worries and cares – and I should because He cares for me (I Peter 5:7), but honestly, sometimes my prayer time can become a complaining session. However, if I can start by recounting His goodness, naming all the ways He has blessed me, and the ways He has been faithful, it positions my heart to delight in Him. It is always easier to believe that He will be good again when I remember how good He has already been.
Delighting in the Lord builds my faith, and it blesses Him! Ps. 103:1-5 says,
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
This is the pattern we learn from David’s life as we read the Psalms. He was always brutally honest with God about his emotions and experience, but he ALWAYS blessed the Lord and recounted the goodness of God. When we recount the goodness of God, we become confident that we can count on Him again today.
So today, before we bring our worries and cares to God, let’s start with worship. Put on a worship song and sing along or make a list of the things you are thankful for. Be specific about how God has been faithful to you. Then lift up your worries and cares to Him, being confident that He cares for you.
As we delight in the Lord these 21 days, I’m praying Psalm 20:4-5 and believing that we will celebrate victories together!
“May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. 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.”
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.0″ _module_preset=”default” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”80%” width_last_edited=”on|tablet” max_width=”1920px” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ background_color=”#ffffff” width=”100%” max_width=”1920px” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true” custom_padding=”51px|60px|51px|60px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”60px|40px|60px|40px|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”40px|20px|40px|20px|true|true” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ box_shadow_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.1)” locked=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.3″][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9mZiIsImxpbmtfZGVzdGluYXRpb24iOiJhdXRob3JfYXJjaGl2ZSJ9fQ==@” image=”https://welovechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/jennybaird21-600.png” image_max_width=”150px” content_max_width=”860px” image_tablet=”https://welovechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/joshbairdblog.png” image_phone=”https://welovechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ShawnBaird2.png” image_last_edited=”off|tablet” image_max_width_tablet=”150px” image_max_width_phone=”150px” image_max_width_last_edited=”on|tablet” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”title,content” header_font=”New Montreal Medium|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#333333″ header_font_size=”22px” header_line_height=”1.4em” body_font=”Neue Montreal||||||||” body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.9em” text_orientation=”center” animation=”off” header_font_size_tablet=”18px” header_font_size_phone=”17px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” body_font_size_tablet=”15px” body_font_size_phone=”17px” body_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400;” border_radii_image=”on|200px|200px|200px|200px” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical_image=”10px” box_shadow_blur_image=”20px” box_shadow_color_image=”rgba(0,0,0,0.1)”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3JfYmlvIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIifX0=@[/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
