Psalm 20

As I meditated on this Psalm I could hear Tevye and his wife (Fiddler on the Roof) singing the Sabbath Prayer.  To catch the meter of these lines you need to have a slight Jewish lilt in your head.

May the Lord answer
   When you are in trouble.
May the God of Jacob
   Keep you safe from harm.

May He send you help from His sanctuary
And support you from His home on high
May He think of all your sacrifices
And accept your burnt offerings.

May He grant you
   All Your heart desires
And may all the
   Plans you make succeed.

When that happens we shall rejoice
Wave our banners and sing for joy
We will celebrate your victory
When He answers all your prayers.

Now I know that
   He rescues His anointed
He will answer
   From His holy heav’n.

Some are trusting
   In their own resources
And they boast in
   The strength that they possess.

With His right hand
   My God shall deliver us
So we boast in
   The Name of our Lord God!

Trusting their own selves,
   They’re asking for disaster
Our King will answer
   and we will rise and stand.

© 2014 J Dan Small