"To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God 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 might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call."
Psalm 20
There is but one central emphasis throughout the prayer, the Name of Jehovah. In the Bible names are always deeply significant as being the revelation of character, and the communication of the Name of God is a revelation of the divine character. God had revealed Himself to His people, and made Himself known to them by His covenant Name, as a God of grace, power and salvation. Not only so: in revealing Himself to them, He had given Himself to them, and they for their part have a certain right to Him: they have free access to His majesty. All this lies behind the phrase 'The Name of the God of Jacob defend thee'. It is this that explains the glorious confidence begotten in David and his people through such a prayer; it could well be called 'the prayer of faith', which is something specific and definitive, something that the Church does not appear to know a great deal about in our day. There is certainly food for thought in this consideration.
Now, for application of the general picture: here is a king going forth to battle, and he has the prayer and love of his people as he goes. This is a pattern of the prayer and encouragement a fellowship should give to those who go forth in its name to fight the Lord's battles, whether in the pulpits of the land or in the Mission Fields of the world. These faithful and loyal souls of David's did not content themselves with private, secret prayer in their tents. They came together as a fellowship and lifted up their voices to God. They held a prayer meeting! That was the mark and the measure of their loyalty and love. Are our loyalty and love marked and measured in this way?