Daily Prayer for January 28, 2025: Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!

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!

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.
They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

O Lord, save the king!
    May he answer us when we call.
(Psalm 20:1-9, ESV)

Prayer: Grant to us, our most gracious and kind Father, your protection and care as we labor through this world of sin and misery. Grant, we ask of you for your guidance as we travel to our heavenly rest. We thank you for being the God of providence and the one who decrees all things, and they unquestionably come to pass according to your will and purposes. We thank you for giving us the civil magistrate ordained by you to govern our nation's affairs, defend it, and protect it from the efforts of bad actors. We thank you that you hold the heart of the king in your hand and turn it wherever you desire. We pray for our leaders today, asking you to protect and guide them. We ask that you will open their eyes to their need of the Savior. We ask for you to use them for the good of your church. We confess that we often forget to pray for our leaders, though we know you have commanded it. Though we pray for them, we do not put our trust and hope in them. We trust you, our God, and know that you will do all things well as the righteous and sovereign King. We thank you for giving us the Lord Jesus Christ, the true and righteous King of kings and Lord of lords. We thank you for upholding him and sustaining him as he labored in this world to rescue us from our miserable condition. We thank you that he lives evermore to make intercession for us. Please, our Father, help us to adore the true King, and may you protect his Kingdom from those who set their minds and hearts against it. We pray these things through the name of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Meditation: Psalm 20