Psalm 20: Monte Vista National Wildlife Refugee
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings. i
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 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.
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 20
Theme: God is sovereign over the affairs of nations, he gives (or does not give) victory in war.
Best Verse: 9 Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!
Command to Obey: --
Sin to Avoid: --
Promise to Claim: --
Application to Make: Turn to God in distress, in war, don't rely on your own human strength.
Something New About God: God is sovereign.
Reflection: This is a point of frustration for me regarding Afghanistan. I just don't understand why God didn't grant the USA victory over the Taliban. If we compare the two countries according to my values, the Taliban are clearly the more evil - they enslave half their population, all the women. However, one stark difference is that the Taliban constantly turn to God and rely on him (in their own incorrect conception of him). The USA, at least our government, is officially secular and tries to do everything out of its own strength, while the Taliban is officially Muslim. They constantly cry out to him and give Allah the glory for everything they do. Another thought is that I came to a saving faith in Christ during my first tour in Afghanistan, so I certainly experience a personal victory there.
Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge: From mid February to mid March the Sandhill Cranes migrate through the San Luis Valley. At the peak of the migration there are tens of thousands of cranes flying around, we went during the very beginning, and we still saw plenty of birds, but we were the only people around! We arrived shortly before sunrise, which was beautiful, and then drove to a pullout that overlooked a small lake. The lake had tons of Canadian Geese and Sandhill Cranes. As the sun rose, they all started flying away. They hangout in the refuge during the night and graze on the local farms during the day, then return at night. We also saw two bald eagles hanging out in a tree and some coyotes (or wolves?) wondering around. We returned at sunset and saw the Sandhill cranes return - it was majestic!
