Everyone has troubles in this world, some worse than others, but what separates people in the world is that some turn to the Lord and are delivered from the worst troubles: the devil, sin, and death. The first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims was for God’s preservation through great trouble, but their main end was thanksgiving for the salvation in Christ.
In Psalm 20, the godly invoke the name of the Lord in the day of trouble: “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you” (verse 1). The day of trouble is an impending battle (verse 7), and the Lord’s people are praying for their king because they will stand or fall as he stands or falls.
The name of God is the revelation of his nature, the acts that he has done, and the promises he has made. “The name of the God of Jacob” recalls how the Lord was with Jacob. God’s name was on Jacob; he was God’s possession, and the Lord preserved and blessed Jacob in remarkable ways. It is a wonderful thing in the day of trouble to be able to call on the name of the Lord God.
Th prayer continues in verse 2: “May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion.” The sanctuary means the holy place; Zion signifies God’s presence on earth with his people. The help comes from heaven (verse 6), while the earthly place of worship depicts the goodness and grace of the Lord with his people.
The main point is that they request the Lord to be with David, the king. It is a great mercy for the Lord to be with David and for him to be with you and me. I have a great need, and I have no might or wisdom, but if the Lord is with me, I can endure whatever trouble I have to face in this world. To have the assurance that the Lord will be with you is the greatest promise in all circumstances, in trouble or ease.
In verse 3 we read, “May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.” The people pray for the king to be pure in heart and to offer acceptable worship to the Lord. “Offerings” are thanks offerings and “sacrifices” indicate the need for atonement of sin. The sincere heart has true faith; he knows his need of grace, and it is evident to the Lord. How can you know the Lord is with you? Is Christ your sole Savior, and do you offer acceptable worship to the Lord, knowing that all you have body and soul proceed from the mercies of God? The Lord looks on the heart; he is not with the impenitent soul or hypocritical worshipper.
The phrase “regard with favor” has the meaning of offering “fat portions,” of one who offers unto God the best sacrifice and who is seeking to honor God. This is what Jesus did for us; he offered up an acceptable sacrifice to God-- his own life as the Lamb of God. We don’t pray for his victory as the people in the psalm prayed for David, because Christ has already conquered; he is victorious over the devil and has taken away my sin. Because he lives after he died, I also know death cannot harm me. This is my great reason to offer sincere, reverent worship to my Lord.
In verse 5, we see that the people are confident of victory: “May we shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God set up our banners.” This is after their prayer request in verse 4 that the Lord grant to David his heart’s desire and fulfill all his plans. They are confident that their King is intent on honoring God, and if God is with them, who can be against them? Confidence in God is well-placed confidence. We can raise our own banner for the salvation of God.
This again points us to Christ. If they had confidence in David’s fidelity to the Lord, how much more should we rejoice that the only begotten Son of God intercedes for us before the Father and is with us in our battle of faith against principalities and powers in high places. The Christian has reason to shout for joy and to expect victory with Christ as his advocate.
How thankful we should be for being able to call on the name of the Lord and knowing the power of God in such a great salvation as we have in Christ. Let us also face the day of trouble by offering our best to the Lord and making our requests known to our God.
