Psalm 20 - Lord, Save the King

 



Lord, with some sanctified imagination, I can imagine Peter, James, and John praying this psalm in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of your betrayal.

They knew the threats against you, and as they were fighting sleep, I can hear them praying for your protection (v. 1). They likely would have been praying for the Father to send help and to keep in mind how you have lived a fully devoted life (v. 2-3).

Lord, maybe after you had to wake them up, they got back to this psalm and continued praying for you to receive your heart's desire and that God would grant victory to you and them (v. 4-5).

And then, after being awakened by you again, they continue with an assurance that God will truly save his anointed. Others may trust in chariots, but if you had taught them anything, it was to trust in the Lord. And so, they confidently affirmed that they (and you) would rise in triumph (v. 6-8).

And as they concluded this prayer with, "O lord, save the king" (v. 9), they dozed off to sleep, and the next thing they knew, you awakened them, saying, "The hour is at hand, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going, my betrayer is at hand." (Matthew 26:45-46)

What? This isn't how they were to arise - they had just prayed that they would rise in victory…triumphant. Now, you are telling them to rise in betrayal, in defeat?

Jesus, whether or not the disciples prayed this psalm for you in the Garden that night, you deserved this to be prayed for you. You are the anointed King of Kings. You are the King of Psalm 2. You are the True King of this Psalm.

But Jesus, we now know that salvation didn't come from the cross but came through the cross. God, you didn't save the King that day…all so you could save me. What amazing grace.

Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 24 - Every Six Steps

Image
God, we don’t know for sure the occasion for this psalm, but it certainly could have been when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6. During that scene in 2 Samuel 6, the narrative is colored by tragedy as the Ark of God makes its way to Jerusalem. The tragedy is when the Ark begins to topple when the ox stumbles, and Uzzah reaches out his hand, touching the Ark to steady it. And, in touching the Ark, he immediately dies. Three months later, determined to get the Ark to Jerusalem, David tries again. But, knowing that he was moving You, the creator God, and that no unclean hands could touch the Ark (as in Uzzah’s case), and because only those with pure hearts could be in Your presence, they would only take six steps at a time and then stop to sacrifice a bull and a fattened calf (2 Samuel 6:13). God, every six steps a sacrifice was required to stay clean and pure! To be honest, that sounds just about right for my heart. The only reason I might think t
Read more

Psalm 13 - “How long?”

Image
                                                                                                 Orbon Alija/E+/Getty Images How long? God, unlike irritated parents on a road trip after hours of relentless “How much longer” from the back seat, you seem to invite that question. Actually, it is so much more than a question, it’s a heart’s cry. Fifteen times in the Psalter, this question is asked of you. And four of those times are in this psalm alone. For David, it’s not just that the road trip is taking so long, but he’s literally wondering if dad even knows where he’s going. And like a four-year-old who can’t take it anymore, he’s wondering if he’ll even survive this trip. God, if I were honest, I don’t allow my heart to act like a four-year-old before you. So instead, I filter my prayers through a theology that tells me that God is sovereign, his timing is perfect; he will never leave or forsake me; he knows all, so of course, he will never forget me; he has a wonderful plan fo
Read more