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Psalms 20
1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,
2send you help from , grant you support from Zion,
3remember all your , and accept your burned sacrifice. Selah.
4May he grant you your heart’s , and fulfill all your counsel.
5We will triumph in your . In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May the LORD grant all your requests.
6Now I know that the LORD saves . He will answer him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand.
7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8They are bowed down and fallen, but we rise up, and stand upright.
9Save, LORD! Let the answer us when we call!
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Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.