Been In Any Skirmishes Lately?

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the Name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah.

"May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose."
(Psalm 20:1-4)

It is believed that this psalm was a congregational prayer sung just before going to war. (Commentary, The Spirit Filled Life Bible)

I don't know about you, but most days I feel as though I'm going into battle. If nothing else, the enemy and I have several skirmishes during the day. Reading the words to this beautiful prayer reminds me of the importance of praying for one another - of being cognizant that we - as individuals and as the Body of Christ - are engaged in spiritual warfare. We need each other and we need to include the Lord in our battles.

My favorite part of this passage is verse 4: "May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose."

This makes my heart sing. Imagine the chorus of voices lifting this request before the Father as their brothers prepare for battle. Of course, their heart's desire and purpose as it applies to this passage is victory over their enemies.

But isn't it the same for us?

As we pursue our heart's desires - as we pursue our purposes - we can be sure to encounter the enemy's landmines along the way. BUT!

But, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
If God before us, who can be against us?

As we stand before our Lord as One Body, bought by the Blood of the Lamb, clothed in garments of fine linen as the precious Bride of Christ...as we do this in UNITY and LOVE, praying diligently for one another, we will obtain our hearts' desires and find our purpose. We will walk victoriously against the enemy.

And we will bring Light to a hurting world.

Let's commit to pray for one another more that ever before. If someone's name pops in your head out of the blue, consider it a prompting of the Holy Spirit asking you to pray - right then.

And "may He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose."

Father, You are so wonderful. You are strong in battle and mighty to save. You respond to Your people as they call out to You in need. There is such power in prayer, especially corporate prayer. In fact, You tell us that when two or three of us gather in Your Name, You are there with us. That is an amazing thought. Help us to remember this, Lord. Help us to not take prayer for granted or see it as something else on a list of to-dos. Help us to see the beauty of Your majesty as we approach Your throne of grace. Bless You, Father!