"Now I Know"

[Psalm 20]

Have you ever experienced a time when you earnestly prayed to God during difficult and hard times, and then realized that God was answering your prayer? If you have had that experience, when was the last time you experienced it? How did you feel at that moment?
Recently, I feel that God is pushing me into a corner to keep praying. So lately, despite many shortcomings, I am struggling to pray. Also, through the book of Acts, I have come to realize that our church must pray together, so we are striving to pray unitedly.
But I ask myself, “Do I really know that God is answering my prayers and our prayers?”
The reason I ask this question is because, while meditating on Psalm 20 today, I came across the phrase “Now I know” (Psalm 20:6).
Today, I want to meditate on Psalm 20 under the title “Now I Know.”

What exactly did the psalmist David come to know?
He came to know that God answers him in the day of trouble (verse 1).
David realized that God answers his cries in the day of distress. He also realized that God fulfills “all his prayers” (verse 5).
The “day of trouble” mentioned here refers to ‘war.’
How can we tell? Because in verse 5 it says, “We will sing for joy over your victory and in the name of our God we will set up our banners…”
The words “victory” and “banner” indicate that the background of this passage is war.
Also, in the latter half of Psalm 20:1, it says, “May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.”
Here, “the God of Jacob” means the God who hears prayers.
Doesn’t this remind you of Jacob, who, after sending his family and all his livestock across the Jaboc River, wrestled with an angel and prayed, “Unless you bless me, I will not let you go” (Genesis 32:22-26)?
The fact that God “exalts” David means He grants him victory in all battles and brings honor to his nation (Psalm 20:1; commentary by Park Yoon-sun).

What we need to consider here is that for David, war represented a national crisis.
As a king fighting wars with other nations, this was not just a personal crisis but a crisis for the entire nation.
At that time, King David himself first cried out to God.
Likewise, we can have individual crises, family crises, crises in our workplaces or businesses, crises in our churches, and even national crises.
So what should we do then?
We must pray like David.
Besides individual prayer, we must also pray cooperatively.
For example, in a national crisis, besides King David’s prayer, the people of Israel had to join together and cry out to God.
In family crises, not just one person should pray, but all family members should pray together in cooperation with God.
The same applies to the church. When the church faces a crisis, from pastors to the whole congregation, everyone must pray together.
Only then can we experience God’s answering of prayers even in the midst of crisis.

So then, how did God respond to David’s prayer? And how is God responding to our prayers? I have considered this in five ways.

First, God helps us.

Look at Psalm 20:2: “May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.”
God is the God who helps us. Even if His help seems delayed from our perspective, His help is sure. We must believe this truth. In Psalm 121:1-2, the psalmist confesses:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Second, God sustains us.

Look at the latter part of Psalm 20:2: “…grant you support from Zion.”
This means that God sustains us so that we do not stumble. In Psalm 121:3, the psalmist says,
“The LORD will not let your foot slip…”
Here, we can take Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, as an example. He says he “almost slipped” and his “steps almost fell” (v. 2), but ultimately he did not stumble. Why did Asaph almost stumble? It was because the righteous were suffering while the wicked were prospering.

Third, God receives our dedication (offerings).

Look at Psalm 20:3: “May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice.”
Here, “offerings” refer to gifts or sacrifices, and “burnt sacrifice” means something that goes up—completely burned on the altar (Leviticus 1:3-9). In modern terms, this can be understood as worship.
A question might arise: how should we understand that God responds to our prayers by accepting our worship?
Look at Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. Like David, she worshiped God even in the midst of her distress (1 Sam 1:10).
From this, we learn that we must worship God even in times of trouble. We must worship God beyond our circumstances. This should be our prayer: “Accept our worship!”

Fourth, God fulfills our desires.

Look at Psalm 20:4: “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
Here, “the desire of your heart” refers to desires that align with God’s will.
When this is so, God fulfills the desires of our hearts.

Lastly, fifthly, God makes us victorious.

Look at the first part of Psalm 20:5:
“We will sing for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God...”
Our God is the God of victory. He is the God who grants us victory. He enables us to triumph in battle, so that we sing songs of joy. Our God allows us to raise the banners of victory.

Then, how did David actually pray to God? How should we pray to God?

First, we must pray to God with the assurance of salvation.

Look at Psalm 20:6:
“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.”
Here, “the anointed” refers to David, but ultimately points to Christ. Although people crucified Jesus Christ, God raised Him from the dead, demonstrating His saving power. Likewise, when our church cries out to God in times of trouble, God saves our church. God shows us the power of His salvation. Therefore, we must plead to God the Father in the name of Jesus with confidence in salvation. True prayer ends with assurance. And that assurance, being given by God, is the prelude to the fulfillment of prayer (Park Yoon Sun).

Second, we must rely on God.

Look at Psalm 20:7:
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
This reminds us of the story of David fighting and defeating Goliath. Like David who advanced in the name of the Lord of hosts and defeated Goliath, we must fight spiritual battles relying solely on God. The Bible tells us, “Do not trust in humans” (Isaiah 2:22). We must not depend on people, military power, or what we possess, because all of those will disappear. We must rely only on the eternal God, the God of salvation, and plead to God the Father.

Third, we must pray with the assurance of victory.

Look at Psalm 20:8:
“They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.”
The God who made David victorious in battle is also the God who makes us victorious in spiritual battles. Therefore, we must pray with confidence in victory. And we must win through prayer. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Fourth and lastly, we must pray until we receive an answer.

Look at Psalm 20:9:
“O Lord, save us! May the King answer us when we call.”
Like David, in times of trouble, we must cry out to God and continue praying until He answers our prayers.

This morning during the early morning prayer meeting, as I meditated on Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel chapter 1, I realized that God is answering my prayers. Like Hannah, I prayed to God with a heavy heart and wept, and it was only during this early morning prayer meeting that I realized He is answering my prayers. Just as David said, “Now I know,” the Holy Spirit made me understand, and now that I know, the cross that once felt heavy now feels light. The Holy Spirit’s revelation gave me strength.

When we come to know that God answers our prayers in times of trouble, we can sing the victory song and raise the banner of victory. Until the day we raise the banner of victory, let us all win through prayer. Victory!

With a grateful heart for God’s grace who answers my prayers and makes me aware of His response,

Pastor James Kim
(After gaining strength through revelation)