Psalm 20:1a  
The Lord will answer
     The background to this Song of David is apparently a battle! In Psalm 18 we get the king’s perspective; his thoughts, hopes and confidence in the Lord as he faces the conflicts ahead of him. Psalm 20 reveals the other side of this coin; the thoughts and aspirations of the people as they prepare to see their army going off to war. This is my prayer for you as you face the inevitable battles ahead. This spiritual life is never going to be bed of roses, there may be times of quiet contentment but be sure that sooner or later the conflict will be resumed and opposing forces will gather against you. The Satan will never let you rest easy if you are intending to follow Jesus Christ, however, it is through the conflicts and through the testing that we discover the superior power and protection of the Lord and His strategy for us against, what may appear to be, overwhelming odds. Whatever is happening to you now or whatever may happen in the future, He is for you, you will prevail, the enemy does not have the ultimate victory.

Distress and anxiety can come in many forms, it is something that can be very private and, at other times, very public. It is a human reaction to circumstances both past, present and those feared in the future; it touches our emotions and runs very deep sometimes. Let’s face it, we all suffer distress in one way or another; it is part of life, it is a burden we have to bear, we cannot be isolated from distress as human beings. The Christian’s answer is to cry out to the Lord, in fact many non-Christian people claim to resort to prayer when they are in a state of severe distress. Certainly, some are doing that now in the midst of the Corona virus crisis. However, our cry has purpose and a target for we dare to align ourselves with the God of Jacob. Keep talking to Him!

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