Prayer for Victory over Enemies.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
And support you from Zion!
3 May He remember all your meal offerings
And find your burnt offering [a]acceptable! [b]Selah.4 May He grant you your heart’s desire
And fulfill all your [c]counsel!
5 [d]We will sing for joy over your [e]victory,
And in the name of our God we will 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 [f]saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some [g]boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we [h]will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
9 [i]Save, O Lord;
May the King answer us in the day we call.
When I first read this, it seemed there was a shift from verses 5 to 7. The first portion seemed a little more focused on our desires and our counsel–and then the last portion we shift to boasting in God, and putting our hope in him. Yet after closer inspection, verse 5 doesn’t say we will sing for joy over our victory. We sing for joy over God’s victory.
Not surprisingly, the word for victory can also be translated salvation, which of course reminds one of God’s most victorious moment. When Jesus conquered death, he brought at once victory and salvation over death and sin.
So yes, if we boast in anything, we boast in God, we boast in His amazing grace, His love, and His victory. And along the way, we seek His will and plan for our lives. We look for ways to be used for His kingdom and glory, that our heart’s desire may be His heart’s desire, and our purpose in life found in His purpose. Our King will indeed answer us in the day we call, and He will give us a victory beyond this world, beyond anything we could hope or imagine. And that’s worth singing for joy!