Oxygen from Psalm 20:1-5 (Intercessory)

 1 In times of trouble, may the LORD answer
    your cry.  

     May the name of Jacob's God be your high
     fortress (lit.). 

 2 May he send you help from his sanctuary 

      and strengthen you from Zion. 

 3 May he remember all your gifts 

      and look favorably on your burnt offerings. 

                         Interlude

 4 May he grant your heart’s desires 

      and make all your plans succeed. 

 5 May we shout for joy when we hear of
   Jeshua (Jesus)

     and raise a victory banner in the name of
    our God. 

   May the LORD answer all your prayers.

(Psalm 20:1-5)

Holy Lord God:

What blessed assurance that You hear our prayers,

that You attend to the cries of Your people.

We confess we stand so much in need

of Your forgiveness, power, and light,

that we hardly know how to pray for ourselves,

creatures of dust, frail and world-bound.

So we pray for others and in intercession

discover Your presence, touch Heaven's Rock.

Forgetting ourselves as we come before You

reveals Your character and sufficient grace

to care for our needs while we care for others;

by giving we gain such strength for our souls.

Before Jesus came, the measure of rightness

were gifts that were brought in accord with the Law.              (v.3)

So David expects God to remember 

offerings made, the whole holocaust,                                    (Lev. 1)

signifying his recognition 

that he deserved death like the animal slain.

But we who are living in this time between times,                 (Heb. 9:28)

when grace has made plain the Law's true intention,            (Rom. 7:5-8)

look only to Christ and his perfect atonement, 

slain Lamb of God, the fulfillment of Law.                            (Mt. 5:17)

We shout for joy to praise Yeshua, Jesus,

his victory banner emblazened with love.                             (v.5)

Answer our prayers for Your dear Son's sake,

and show Yourself greater than our mere requests.

Show Yourself Sovereign in all our affairs;

show Yourself merciful to all in need;

show Yourself Holy, awesome and mighty,

teach us to pray and praise without ceasing.                       (I Thess. 5:17)

This week You touched a young man who o.d.'d.

Who knows how people can get so confused?

The doctors had given up all hope of life,

gathered the family for their last goodbyes;

and just when the light of all human effort

extinguished all hope, You opened his eyes.

You saved him, You gave him back to his friends,

like Lazarus, he has returned from dark Sheol.

So may we gain from this one example

the confidence robbed by the doubts of the flesh

to bring to You all of our hurt, pain, and suff'ring,

knowing Your will is to glorify Christ.                                       (Eph.1:10)


(Insert your petitions here knowing God hears ...)

Oh praise to the Father, and praise to the Son,

Praise to the Spirit, Three and yet one!

Praise to the God who hears all our prayers.

Praise to Christ Jesus who dries all our tears.

Praise and thanksgiving that we are united!

Joy, hallelujah, forever our song!

Amen.