“May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.” Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬–‭2‬ (NIV)

This week was quite tough. It was so back-to-back in many different areas that I felt like I didn’t have a moment for myself. I began to feel extremely discouraged and distressed. Then, during our church’s end-of-month fasting, we were given Psalm 20 to anchor our prayers on the first day of the fast. Just the opening of the psalm was enough to cause me to rise up as a child of God, remembering that God hears my prayers.

Further down in the psalm it says, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.” Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭4‬–‭5‬ (NIV).

That scripture empowered me to know that I have a weapon to fight against sudden distress, and that weapon is prayer. As I travelled to work, I began to declare good things over my week and my day… and guess what? It ended better than it started. I gained strength and victory over the week. So when the passage says, “May the Lord help you in your distress,” it’s because He is the only one who can truly help and intervene to turn a situation around.

If you noticed, I normally post earlier in the week, but due to allowing negativity to cloud my mind, I felt discouraged even to pray and journal. Yet one psalm was enough to redirect my attention and focus back to God and not my situation. There is a saying nowadays that goes, “Don’t tell God how big the problem is; tell your problem how big your God is.” It’s time for you to arise and command the intervention of the Lord, even in times of crisis and confusion. Don’t allow arrows of discouragement, distress, frustration, and anxiety to penetrate, especially when you have a Father who will do anything to save His children. You are not alone, because the Lord will surely send you help from His sanctuary and grant you support.