Some Trust In Chariots Series

Introduction: The Day of Trouble

There is not a soul in this sanctuary today who is a stranger to trouble. The Bible calls it, in the beautiful and stark language of the King James, "the day of trouble." It is that day when the doctor's report is not what you had hoped. It is that day when the notice of termination arrives. It is that day when a relationship you cherished lies in ruins. It is that day when fear for your children's future grips your heart, when the finances do not add up, when the weight of the world seems to press down upon your shoulders until you can scarcely breathe. In that day of trouble, the human heart scrambles for a solution. It looks for a defense, a source of help, a strategy for victory. We live in an age of sophisticated solutions. We have our plans, our insurance policies, our savings accounts, our influential contacts, our own intellect and cunning. These are our modern-day chariots and horses.

But the Psalmist, King David, inspired by the Holy Ghost, gives us a divine pattern for how the people of God are to face the day of trouble. Psalm 20 is not a psalm of quiet reflection; it is a battle cry. It is a corporate prayer of the congregation for their king as he goes out to war. But today, it is our prayer for one another, and it is a declaration of where our ultimate trust must lie. Let us walk through this mighty Psalm together.

I. The Prayer for Divine Assistance (Verses 1-4)

The Psalm opens not with the king's own voice, but with the voice of the people praying for him. This is our first lesson: we are to bear one another's burdens and lift each other up in prayer before the battle begins. Look at verse 1:

"The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;"

The first plea is for God's attention: "The LORD hear thee." In a world of noise and distraction, the greatest comfort is to know that the Sovereign of the universe inclines His ear to our cry. But it is more than just hearing; it is that the very name of God would be our defense. Why the "God of Jacob"? Remember Jacob. He was a struggler, a supplanter, a man who wrestled with God and man and prevailed. The "God of Jacob" is the God who meets us in our weakness, in our struggle, and defends us not because we are perfect, but because He is faithful. Your defense is not in your strength, but in His name. Verse 2 continues this plea for supernatural aid:

"Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion."

Where does real help come from? Not from the armory, not from the treasury, but from "the sanctuary," from Zion. The sanctuary was the place of God's holy presence, the place of sacrifice and atonement. For us, the children of the New Covenant, our help comes from the true sanctuary, Heaven itself, where our Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, ever lives to make intercession for us. Our strength comes from the spiritual reality of God's kingdom, not the material resources of this world. And then, a beautiful reminder in verses 3 and 4:

"Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel."

The people pray that God would remember the king's devotion. This is not about earning God's favor. You cannot buy a miracle. This is about God honoring a life of faithfulness. God sees your secret prayers, your quiet acts of service, the sacrifices you make that no one else notices. He does not forget. And because the king's heart is aligned with God's, the people can pray, "Grant thee according to thine own heart." When your heart delights in the Lord, its desires begin to mirror His desires. God is not afraid to fulfill the counsel of a man or woman whose counsel is first submitted to Him.

II. The Declaration of Confident Trust (Verses 5-7)

The tone shifts in verse 5 from petition to proclamation. Faith begins to declare the victory before the battle is even won.

"We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions."

Notice the confidence! "We will rejoice." "We will set up our banners." Banners were flags flown in victory, declaring allegiance. They are saying, "When this is over, the flag we fly will not be the flag of our own strength or our nation's might, but the banner of the name of our God!" They are pre-deciding to give God all the glory.