May He Give You the Desire of Your Heart
A study of Psalm 20 as a prayer said for someone else
Psalm 20:1-9NIV
Observe. Psalm 20 is unusual because most of it is addressed not to God but to another person. Verses 1 through 5 are a series of blessings: may the LORD answer you in distress, may the name of the God of Jacob protect you, may he send help from the sanctuary, may he remember your sacrifices, may he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. Verse 6 shifts to confidence, now this I know. Verses 7 and 8 contrast trusting in chariots and horses with trusting in the name of the LORD. Verse 9 closes with a plea for the king.
Interpret. The setting is most likely a service before the king went out to battle. The people prayed over him, and then they declared their trust. The psalm teaches that intercession, praying for someone else, was built into Israel's worship. It also teaches that the desire of your heart in verse 4 is not a blank check. The king's desire, in context, is victory in a war fought for God's people. The prayer assumes the desire is aligned with God's purposes.
Apply. Who could you pray Psalm 20 over this week, by name, asking that God give them the desire of their heart and make their plans succeed? Are your own plans the kind you could honestly ask God to prosper? And when you look at what you rely on when you are afraid, is it a chariot or a Name?
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