The Word Made Fresh
(To the worship leader. A psalm of David.)
1May the LORD answer you when you are troubled!
May you find safety in the name of the God of Jacob!
2May the LORD send help to you from the sanctuary
and support you from Zion!
3May the LORD remember your offerings,
and favorably accept your burnt sacrifices!
4May the LORD grant your heart’s desire,
and bring all your plans to fruition!
5May we joyfully celebrate your victory
and raise our flags in the name of our God!
May the LORD grant all your requests!
6Now I know that the LORD gives aid to the anointed one,
and rewards his prayers with victories.
7Some place their trust in chariots and horses,
but our trust is in the LORD our God.
8They will fail and fall down,
but we will stand up straight.
9Give the king victory, LORD!
Answer us when we pray!
Commentary
Superscription: the 17th “Psalm of David.”
1-5: One way of understanding this little psalm is to imagine it as a litany being performed before battle to seek God’s help in defeating the enemy. We are standing in the courtyard of the temple. These verses are spoken by the high priest, a prayer for God to grant victory to the king.
6-8: The king responds with an acknowledgement that God will indeed grant success in spite of the enemy’s superior number of horses and chariots.
9: All the priests sing out in chorus, echoing the prayer for victory.
Takeaway
Although many of the psalms raise a thanksgiving for some victory in battle, we should be inspired to raise a thanksgiving to God for all the good things that come our way in life. Life’s victories appear in many guises. They sometimes seem trivial, but they never are.