Trusting in the Name of the Lord (Psalm 20)

CONSIDER THIS

Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. Most recently, he served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary among other posts he holds across the global church. Julie is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to fruition the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. We will share some of their writing on the Psalms on Sundays.

The final test of our faith is the answer to the question: Where (or in whom) do we put our trust? In the modern, overly sentimentalized church, we are often misled into thinking that faith is rooted in some kind of emotional experience or special feeling toward God. However, faith is at its root the outward expression of where (or in whom) we have put our trust. This psalm says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (v. 7). This summarizes the whole life of faith. Chariots and horses were the psalmist’s way of capturing in his own day the central symbols of human strength and ingenuity. Historians consider the chariot to be one of the great technological breakthroughs in the history of human warfare. It enabled a warrior to freely fight from a lower plane and yet maintain all the mobility and speed of a horse. It represents all of the ways we use our ingenuity and inventive skills to maintain our power, strength, and autonomy. Today, we might boast in our armies, ships, and weapons. In the end, however, all chariots and horses will be “brought to their knees and fall” (v. 8).

The life of faith is rooted in a daily trusting in God’s power and his resources. In this psalm, the “name of the Lord our God” (v. 7) refers to the steadfastness of God’s promises and covenant. It is a call for us to put our trust in God’s Word and in the covenantal faithfulness of God to provide for us, protect us, and to give our lives meaning and purpose. Indeed, his love for us always exceeds our own design for our lives. This psalm reminds us of the full inheritance that is ours, through Jesus Christ. It is not a chariot or a horse that we trust in but in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Those who trust in him will not be disappointed. Paul surely reflected the truth of the contrasting boast of the gospel when he declared, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

For the Awakening,
Timothy and Julie Tennent

THE HYMN

Sing Psalm 20 with the Seedbed Psalter today. I suggest the tune AZMON (“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”). You can hear the tune played online by Julie Tennent here. If you listen to the podcast audio version, I will sing the psalm in this same tune. For your convenience, the words from the Psalter are printed below. 

1   O may the Lord give heed to you when troubled days are nigh;
And may the name of Jacob’s God protect you from on high.

2   May He send help to you from His own sanctuary true;
From Zion, His own holy hill, may He give strength to you.

3   May He recall your sacrifice; your off’rings may He heed.                     Selah
4   May He give you your heart’s desire; make all your plans succeed.

5   And we will sing for joy in your salvation’s victory.
We’ll lift our banners in God’s Name; May Yahweh grant your plea.

6   The Lord saves His anointed one, and from His holy heav’n,
I know He answers him with pow’r that His right hand has giv’n.

7   Some put their trust in char-i-ots; on horses some rely;
But we trust in God’s name alone, the Lord our God on high.

8   They’re brought down to their knees but we have risen and stand tall.
9   O Lord, hear us and save the king! Give answer when we call!

P.S. Get the Resources

If you would like to have the meditations and the metrical psalter in a beautiful two-volume set—which I highly recommend— you can order those through the Seedbed store.