For our time of study and worship this morning, it would be good if we could sing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and fly the facts of victory!
Verse 5:
"We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests."
The final request in the Psalm is here in verse 5.
Request 6: "May the Lord grant all your requests."
Let us just review these 6 requests from the congregation:
(1) "May the Lord answer you when you are in distress."
(2) "May the name of the God of Jacob protect you."
(3) "May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion."
(4) "May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings."
(5) "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed."
(6) "May the Lord grant all your requests."
I Corinthians 15:57:
"but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(NASB).
The congregation is saying to David, "when you are victorious" we will do 2 things: (1) "we will shout for joy" and (2) "we...will lift up our banners in the name of our God."
Tom Landry said: "The secret to winning is constant, consistent management."
Bill McCartney, who was the founder of Promise Keepers, said: "We all know we are in a war. Our problem is that we are at war!" Coach is right. Knowing there is a war going on is one thing. Signing up and soldiering is quite another. (Stu Weber,
Spirit Warriors
, 182)
It might be good for us to reflect for a moment on the word "all": (1) verse 3 - "May he remember all your sacrifices"; (2) verse 4 - "Make all your plans succeed"; and (3) verse 5 - "May the Lord grant all your requests."
Verse 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."
He knew in his heart that God was going to intervene in this conflict just like He did when David was facing Goliath in the valley of Elah. The battle is the Lord's!
Craig Barnes said: "Do not think for one minute that your good intentions go unnoticed. You have an adversary named the devil, who holds the power of a roaring lion in your life. When it comes to addiction to sin, you will not defeat a roaring lion simply with a little resolve. You're in way over your head on this one." (
Sacred Thirst
, 131)
Romans 8:37 - 39:
"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(NASB).
