Our Desires and God’s Glory (Psalm 20:4–5)

May he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
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!
– Psalm 20:4–5

Oh, isn’t this a great picture of encouragement? It is like a prayer of blessing spoken over one another. “May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.” I want to pray that over you as I read it—that your heart’s desires would come from God and be granted by God, that your plans for your life would align with God’s plans for your life, and that they would be fulfilled.

Psalm 20:4–5 calls us to challenge the desires of our hearts.

“May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.” This is an invitation we see throughout the Bible—to call out to God for help in our lives and to call out for help on behalf of others, bringing petitions for ourselves and petitions for others. As we ask for these things according to his Word—the foundation of this podcast—we pray with confidence. May the Lord fulfill all that we ask.

I am sure I will mention this again in the future, but there is a twofold secret to prayer. First, make your wants God’s wants. Second, ask for whatever you want. Make your wants God’s wants, and then ask for whatever you want.

God, I pray Psalm 20 over every person listening right now. Grant them their heart’s desire, and fulfill all their plans. And God, I pray that you would transform their desires to be your desires—desires for your glory in their lives and in others’ lives, desires to be conformed more into the image of Jesus through whatever they are walking through, and desires to lead people to Jesus in everyday life.

Psalm 20:4–5 reminds us that God will answer according to his glory and our good.

God, give them—and give me—your desires, and grant those desires, which we know are what is best for us. Help every single person listening to align the plans for their lives with your plans for their lives, according to your Word and your Spirit, and then bring those plans to completion.

God, lead, guide, and direct their thoughts forward—their desires, their plans, their dreams, their decisions, and their steps—maximally for their good, for others’ good, and for your glory among the nations. Fulfill all of these plans and petitions, God. As you place things on our hearts, we cry out to you for your help in our lives and on behalf of others, and we pray that you would fulfill our petitions according to your power.

God, give us boldness and faith to ask for things that could only be accomplished by your power and wisdom. And to the extent that we unknowingly ask for things that are not best, we trust your wisdom and love. We trust you will fulfill all prayers that are good and right for us, for others, and for your glory.

We praise you for Psalm 20:4–5, and especially for the words in verse 5: “May we shout for joy over your salvation.”

A Prayer for the Nation of Russia

God, we petition you right now for salvation among the nations. Specifically, we pray for the salvation of people in Russia. As we see Russia in the headlines continually, we intercede and petition you, God. Please show the power of your salvation across Russia. Draw many Russians to Jesus, we pray.

Fulfill that petition, O God, along with all our petitions that we pray according to your Word. We trust in your power, your wisdom, and your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.