herbcotton.org

The Word of God says:

Psalms 20:2 (NASB)
² May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion!

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today our focal verse continues the prayer that the people in unison cried out to God for King David and his men.  The people prayed that God will send them help from the sanctuary, and support them from Zion. The sanctuary was the place where God recorded His name. At this time in history the sanctuary was the dwelling place of God. This was the place where David, his men, and the people came to seek God’s help, and to find support, refreshment, and strength for the battles that they would be facing.

1 Kings 8:44-45 (NASB)
⁴⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name,
⁴⁵ then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

Where do believers go today to find God? The answer is that we go to His Son. We have the privilege of taking our burdens and our cares to Jesus. Where is God? He is in Christ as the scripture says.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NASB)
¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Today, God no longer dwells in temples made by the hands of men. Now He dwells in temples made by His own hands. He dwells in the hearts of His believing people.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB)
¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that the creator God of the universe makes His home in the hearts of His people. Father God, I thank You that the triune God lives in His people.  Father God, I praise and thank You that You invite Your people to come to You in prayer, and to seek and find help in our time of need. Father, I thank You that we don’t have to go on a long journey to find You because You live and abide in our hearts, if indeed we know You, and You know us.

Since Jesus Came Into My Heart (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Since_Jesus_Came_into_My_Heart.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 20:1 (NASB)
¹ May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we begin our look at this Psalm in detail. Here the congregation joins in crying out to God in unison on behalf of the king and his men. They agree with David and his men in the prayers that they had already offered to God.

The people of God were facing a season of trouble. However, in their day of trouble they knew where to turn. They lifted their hearts toward heaven, and they cried out to God for help. There will be days of trouble in the lives of God’s people. It was true in the times of the Old Testament saints, and it is true today. Read and listen to what the Psalmist says about his day, and then read and listen to what Jesus says about the saints of every age.

This is what the Psalmist said about the day of trouble:

Psalms 50:15 (NASB)
¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

Psalms 59:16 (NASB)
¹⁶ But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress.

Psalms 77:2 (NASB)
² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted.

Psalms 86:7 (NASB)
⁷ In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.

Psalms 102:2 (NASB)
² Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.

This is what Jesus said about the day of trouble that the saints of every age would face:

John 16:33 (NASB)
³³ “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In our focal verse and in the admonition of Jesus to His disciples we find the answer to where God’s people should flee in their day of trouble.  Whether it was then, the God of Jacob, or whether it is now, it has always been about the Lord. It has always been about Jesus.

Psalms 46:1 (NASB)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that when the day of trouble comes into our lives that we have a refuge to whom we can turn, and that refuge is the Lord Jesus Christ. Father God, I believer in Jesus, and I believe in His promise that He is able to deliver us from any trouble that we may encounter in our walk through this world. Lord, thank You for being a God that we can call upon in our times of trouble, and know in our hearts that You will help us.

I Must Tell Jesus (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Must_Tell_Jesus/midi/

The Word of God says:

Psalms 20:1-9 (NASB)
¹ May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
² May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion!
³ May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.
⁴ May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your counsel!
⁵ We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
⁷ Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
⁸ They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright.
⁹ Save, O Lord; May the King answer us in the day we call.

My reflections on the Word of God:

I have a dear friend and beloved brother in Christ who very fervently uses this Psalm as an aid in his private and corporate prayers.  There is much we can learn from this Psalm about God, and about intercessory prayer.

This is a prayer that David and the people of Israel prayed before going out to battle. The scene is a dedication service that was required by the laws of Jewish warfare.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 (NASB)
¹ “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
² “When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people.
³ “He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them,
⁴ for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

In our focal passage, Psalm 20, you can sense the heart of the people for their God and for their king. They used the word “May” six times as the people corporately prayed for David.

We will be coming back to this Psalm tomorrow to begin looking at it in more detail, and working through it in bite size pieces. However, this initial look coveys an important message that is worthy of pondering. It behooves all of us to consider that when we face battles in our lives that the battle is not won by firepower, but by God’s power. We all have access to God’s power through prayer.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise and thank You for the lessons that we can learn about You, and about the power of praying for others as we focus our hearts upon this Psalm for the next few days. We ask for the aid and assistance of the Holy Spirit to help us to rightly divide the Word of God.

A Prayer for God’s Blessing (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/r/prayerfg.htm

The Word of God says:

Romans 15:30 (AMP)
³⁰ I appeal to you [I entreat you], brethren, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love [given by] the Spirit, to unite with me in earnest wrestling in prayer to God in my behalf.

My reflections on the Word of God:

The Apostle Paul was a man of great faith who believed in a God who was capable and willing to do great and mighty things for His people. Therefore, not just on the occasion mentioned in our focal verse for today, but on many other occasions, Paul sought the prayers of the saints on his behalf. However, it is noteworthy that Paul’s request was not selfish requests, but his request for prayer was for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:19-20 (KJV)
¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰ For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Colossians 4:3-4 (KJV)
³ Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
⁴ That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (KJV)
¹ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
² And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

Why would people in so many different churches want to pray for Paul? What is the thread that is common in all of the churches that Paul asked to pray for him? I suggest that it is love. It was love for the Savior, and love for Paul who had preached the gospel of the Savior to them. Paul knew that if the readers of his letter knew the Savior that they had the love of the Savior living in their hearts.

Romans 5:5 (NASB)
⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 8:9 (NASB)
⁹ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I praise and thank You for giving to each of Your believing children the gift of love. I thank You that it is because of Your love living in our hearts that we have the motivation to pray for others in their time of need.

Father God, I pray that my motives for asking others to pray for me will not be selfish in their nature. Like the Apostle Paul, I pray that my requests for prayer will be for the sake of Christ, and by the love given by the Holy Spirit.

Balm in Secret Prayer (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/a/l/balspray.htm

The Word of God says:

Romans 15:30-33 (KJV)
³⁰ Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
³¹ That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;
³² That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
³³ Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Yesterday we reflected on the first three verses in this passage. Today, our emphasis is on the last verse. In this verse Paul abruptly turns from requesting prayers from the recipients of his letter to being an intercessor on their behalf.

Paul the encourager and missionary to the Gentiles becomes Paul the intercessor. Paul prayed just one thing for them. The thing that I like about this verse is that Paul saw their greatest need, and He prayed to the only one who could satisfy their greatest need. What every person needs is peace. Therefore, we can conclude that every person needs God. His very nature is peace, and when we have God living within us we have peace within and peace without.

It is wonderful to have a person like Paul interceding for you, and that was the privilege that the believers at Rome enjoyed. It is such a blessing to have people who care about you so deeply that they would take the time to pray for you. However, as good as that is, if you have the peace of God within you in the person of the God of peace, you have His Son praying for you also. Now, how great is that?

Hebrews 7:25 (KJV)
²⁵ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, how sweet and comforting is the knowledge that Jesus and others are daily praying for me. Just like Paul needed the prayers of the saints to sustain him in his mission and ministry, I need God, and I need the God of peace living in me. Lord, I thank You for the privilege that I have to be an intercessor before Your throne of grace on behalf of others.

For You I am Praying for You (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.digitalhymnal.org/dhymn.cfm?hymnNumber=284

The Word of God says:

Romans 15:30-32 (KJV)
³⁰ Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
³¹ That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;
³² That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we reflect upon another instance in the life of Paul that he asked other believers to pray for him. There is no denying that we all need prayer, and that it is the Christ like thing to pray for one another. Only eternity will reveal what blessings we forfeited by not asking others to pray for us. The following is what Billy Graham once said about prayer.

“Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask”

In our focal passage for today the Apostle Paul was not reluctant to ask for the prayers of other believers. Notice that the things that Paul asked for were not selfish requests. In fact he prefaced his request for prayer by revealing his motive for asking for prayer.

For the Apostle Paul it was never about him. It was always about Christ. Notice what he said about his motive for requesting prayer, “for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake”. To me this sounds exactly like what Jesus taught His disciples to pray.

Luke 11:2 (KJV)
² And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

It should be our great joy to go to God in prayer on behalf of His believing children. All of God’s children need prayer. Our prayers can be the key that will unlock the storehouse of God’s blessings in the life of some needy person, if we will pray for them. Let’s not ever grow weary of lifting up one another to our Lord in prayer.

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I praise and thank You that You hold the power in Your hands to do far more than we could ever ask in prayer. Thank You Lord for the encouragement it is to our hearts to know that You are pleased when we bring everything to You in prayer. Father God, I pray that we will remember that when needs arise in our lives that our first response will be to bring our needs to the throne of grace where we will find the open and outstretched arms of our Savior, His Father, and our God.

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

A Child of the King (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_A_Child_of_the_King.html

The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 1:11 (KJV)
¹¹ Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

My reflections on the Word of God:

This verse leaves no doubt that God hears and answers the prayers that His people bring to Him on behalf of others. It stretches the human mind to comprehend the truth that God answers prayer. The Sovereign God has chosen to provide the means of prayer for His people to communicate their needs and the needs of others to Him in their time of suffering.

There was no question in the Apostle Paul’s mind that the prayers of the saints helped him. God has chosen to use suffering and prayer to teach His people lessons on prayer and on thanksgiving. When we intercede on behalf of others who are suffering God hears and answers our prayers. Intercessory prayer works.

When the blessings come down from the Father in heaven, the praises go up from the saints who have labored in prayer interceding for others. This reminds me of something I used to hear the late E.C.Chron say, “You can never have too many people praying for you”. The more people that pray for you results in more praises going up to the Father in heaven when He answers their prayers.

When we hear about the testimony of answered prayer, the prayers of the saints should bombard the throne of God with prayers of praise and thanksgiving. There is no greater service we can render to God than to bring glory to His name.

Let us be encouraged by this lesson on how God uses suffering and prayer to help us, and to bring glory to His name. Prayer is not the least we can do for others. Rather, it is the most that we can do for others who are suffering.

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

James 5:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I praise and thank You for the privilege, the power, and the provisions that we receive when we make prayer our first priority. Father God, I praise and thank You that when the prayers of the saints go up on behalf of others, the blessings come done from our heavenly Father.

Tell It to Jesus (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Tell_It_to_Jesus.html

The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 1:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

My reflections on the Word of God:

When God has done something big for you in your life it gives you confidence that the next time you face similar trials and tests that the God who delivered you in the past will deliver you again. That was the testimony of Paul. During his ministry of proclaiming the gospel of Christ Paul faced many dangers, even the threat of death.

2 Corinthians 11:24 (KJV)
²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

Acts 26:21 (KJV)
²¹ For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

Paul faced circumstances in his life of serving God that brought him into harms way, but it did not deter him from carrying out his God ordained mission and ministry. He discovered that his weakness and insufficiency was not an obstacle because he served a God who was able and willing to deliver His people. What God did for Paul He will do for any of His children who will place their trust Him.

2 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
⁹ The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Psalms 34:19 (KJV)
¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You for the encouragement that we receive from Your Word. Our hearts are gladdened when we read of how You provided for Your servant Paul. We take solace from the promises of God that fill the pages of the Bible.

Father God, our hearts are thrilled when we think about how blessed we are to be called children of God. It is faith building to know that no matter what troubles we may encounter in this world that our God is able to deliver us.

He Is Able to Deliver Thee (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/e/heisable.htm

The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJV)
⁹ But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

My reflections on the Word of God:

The Apostle Paul was a learned man who possessed great intellectual abilities. He received his training under the best teachers available in his time. However, when God saved him and chose him to be His special vessel Paul’s sufficiency did not come from his academic training, but it came from his God. There are some things that man cannot do within himself, and Paul discovered that he could not trust in himself, and that he could trust in God. One of the ways that Paul learned this lesson was through his afflictions and the opposition he faced in serving God.

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (KJV)
⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
¹¹ For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
¹² So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Paul was a man that was acquainted with suffering for the sake of knowing and doing the will and the work of God. He discovered through his afflictions and sufferings that God did indeed use his troubles for a God ordained purpose. Paul did not deny the way he felt about the troubles he faced. They were real, they were painful, and they hurt Paul deeply.

2 Corinthians 7:5 (KJV)
⁵ For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

However, Paul was able to find peace down deep in his soul. He was able to serve with a joyful heart that came from a reservoir within his heart. He was able to trust daily in the God of his salvation who is the only one who could save him and the only one who had the power over death. In his troubles and through his troubles Paul learned that God is able, and that he could trust in God to deliver him every day.

2 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, it is reassuring and comforting to know that You are an all knowing and all powerful God, and that there is nothing that is impossible with You. Father, I thank You for teaching us the lesson through Paul’s experience that we cannot trust in ourselves, by that we can trust in You.

Father God, give us the faith that we need to trust in You during the good times and during the bad times in our lives. Father, help us to know, believe, and behave like You are God alone, and that You are God at all times. Father God, I know that when You are holding my hand that I can make it through any thing that I will ever have to face in this world.

Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Precious_Lord_Take_My_Hand.html

The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 1:8 (KJV)
⁸ For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

My reflections on the Word of God:

The affliction and suffering that Paul faced and which he writes about to the Corinthians was real and it was severe. Look at the tremendous amount of suffering that Paul faced. He says about his suffering, “We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life”.

In this set of circumstances Paul even despaired of life. What Paul learned in his sufferings is that what was too big for him to bear was not too big for his God. In Paul’s difficulties God was always there with Paul.

What we can learn from the experience of Paul is that God is always present with His children no matter how big our troubles may seem to us. God sometimes allows his children to go through the pressure and pain of suffering, but He always comes through, and delivers them safely to the other side.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)
¹³ There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (KJV)
⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

God does not allow His children to go through suffering needlessly. God wants His people to learn how to trust in Him. The testing of our faith serves to prove the genuineness of our faith.

James 1:2-3 (KJV)
² My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
³ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

My prayer In response to the Word of God:

Our dear Father in heaven, I praise and thank You that no matter how severe the trials and troubles that we may face in our life that there is a God in heaven who watches over His dear children. That was the testimony of Paul, and that was the testimony of George Young who wrote the words to our focal hymn for today.

Farther God, I praise and thank You that You indeed do lead Your children through the waters, fires and sorrows that we face in this world.

John 10:3 (KJV)
³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

God Leads Us Along (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/God_Leads_Us_Along/midi/