And so the supernatural help that David might have expected from the prayer in Psalm 20:2—
suddenly makes a different kind of sense... at least for members of the church or recipients of God's acts in the context of the church. For to be rescued from the temple (the sanctuary) or supported from Zion is simply to be helped by the church—not a building, but a people. When people receive food from the church's food cupboard, or when church members minister to each other by telephone during a pandemic: This is God sending "support from Zion."may he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion—
Especially in April 2020, it's as though this little verse from the psalms was just sitting there, waiting for us to read it and realize that the faith of the Hebrew Bible became the faith of Christ and his apostles, and that the apostolic faith is alive and well in these latter days. This helps us realize what today's prayers should be about:
Send us help from Zion, O God. And help us each to see how this prayer has already been answered again and again in our lives when we remember who Zion is. Grant us grace to be part of your temple in this world, that we may not only receive, but give the support you promise to those who call on your Name in sincerity; in Jesus' Name, who taught us to pray: Our Father...
