Psalm 20 ~ My Help From Heaven

For the past 25 years or so I have been praying through the Psalms each month. The math works out quite handily: 150 psalms divided by 30 days in a month comes to 5 psalms a day. So each day I pray through five psalms, beginning with the first five on the first day of the month, the second five on the next day, and so on. I do not necessarily read through all five each day, however. Sometimes I am caught by one in particular, sometimes by just a section of one, and sometimes even by just a single verse, and I spend my prayer time on that.

This has happened much more frequently in recent years. I have discovered that the more I pray the psalms, the more sensitive I become to them and the more they open up inside of me. Sometimes like an overstuffed suitcase springing wide open when I pop the latch. I never know, from day to day, which portion might hold a fresh revelation for me.

So, although the psalms also have a strong community dimension, they have become very personal for me over the years. They are a large part of my prayer, my meditation, even how I talk to myself. Here is a personal confession I have adapted from Psalm 20.

My Help From Heaven ~ from Psalm 20

Yahweh answers me whenever I am in trouble.
The God of Jacob lifts me out.
He sends me help from His sanctuary,
From the heart of heaven,
From the midst of His people,
From His dwelling place
Deep in my heart.
He remembers the sacrifice,
The blood of Jesus,
Shed on my behalf.*

He gives me the desires of my heart
And fulfills my purpose,
The God-given plans He has for me.
I shout for joy because of the victory He has given me,
And I celebrate the name of our God,
For He has granted all my requests.

Now I know that Yahweh takes care of me in every way,
With salvation, prosperity, and victory from His mighty hand.
Some trust in their own strength, their own resources,
But I will remember and trust in Yahweh our God.
They will collapse and fall
But I will rise up and stand straight.

* “But you have come … to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24)

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Personal Confessions from the Psalms
Prayers and Affirmations for a Life of Faith, Happiness and Awe in God
by Jeff Doles

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