Thanksgiving Scripture - Nov 18

Annual Bible Reading Plan:

EZK.46-47
JHN.17

2024 Thanksgiving Month D18:

Being Grateful That God Is Our Dependence (Psalm 20:1-9)
（Memorization Scripture 6-9）
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king!
May he answer us when we call.

Reflection:
This psalm is a prayer shared by the people and the king before going into battle. It describes how, in a time of national and communal "day of trouble," they prayed and prepared together to rely on God as they went to war. In their prayers, they firmly believed that this "day of trouble" would become a day of experiencing God's "protection" and "salvation." Because they were confident in their God, the one "called the God of Jacob," they knew He understood all their circumstances. Not only does He grant us salvation, but He also "strengthens" our lives, "rescues us with the power of His right hand" in all situations, "sets up a banner" for us, and fulfills "all that we ask." Thus, the people and the king turned the "day of trouble" into a "day of calling out" (alternatively translated as "the time of calling"), clearly declaring that their battle and victory would not rely on what others depended on, such as "chariots" or "horses," but on "the name of the Lord our God"! Praise the Lord! With Him as our life and reliance, no matter what each day brings—whether mountaintop or valley—we can be confident that every day should be a day of gratitude and "calling out." It is also a day when we will together experience His "protection" and "salvation"!