Psalm 20:5-7, “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. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

In last week’s devotional we focused on God’s mighty hand of deliverance as typified for us in the deliverance of Israel. On a more personal note, David expresses his own deep faith in God’s promise and ability to deliver him. He saw himself as God’s anointed whom God would preserve with the might of His right hand. David’s trust in God should be ours as well. We are the sheep of His pasture, a people for His own possession. We are chosen by God for salvation. His hand will always deliver, thus our trust must not be in the apparent, material, physical powers of this world, the chariots and horses of today’s society.

Psalm 138:7-8, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Understanding that the hand of the Lord is with us, His chosen people, in times of trouble and distress is a great comfort. God intends that we avail ourselves of this comfort in the dark times of life. But it is not just for our own good, but for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose. We are chosen according to that purpose (Eph. 1:11), and therefore God works good for us who have been called according to that purpose ( Rom. 8:28). He does so by the power of His hand.

Isaiah 50: 2, “Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering."… Isaiah 59:1, “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear…” God affirms again and again that He has not lost His power. There are times when we wonder, and then we need to read this passage again. God’s hand is not shortened so that He is no longer able to save and redeem.