Psalm 84: 8-9 says, “Oh Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.”
Ruby Gordon once shared of a time when her and her sister were little girls walking to school. They were already late and still a block from the school, when the bell rang. Ruby said, “Let’s stop and pray.” Her sister said, “Let’s run and pray!”
The Psalmist of chapter 84 is calling out to God in the time of battle. He addresses God as “Lord God of hosts.” He is the Lord God of the hosts, or armies, of heaven. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, there were shepherds in the fields who witnessed a multitude of the heavenly army (Luke 2:13). King David heard God’s army above the mulberry trees going before him into battle (II Samuel 5:24). Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened to see God’s army on the mountain around them (II Kings 6:16-17). Over and over God has used His army to protect His people.
The Psalmist also addresses God as “our shield,” (V. 9). When Paul called us to put on all the armor of God in Ephesians 6, he said, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (V. 16). He then said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (V. 18).
Our journey is a spiritual battle, prayer being by far our greatest weapon. Prayer is always the answer. Victory cannot be won without it. No wonder Paul said, “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). And Jesus said, “…that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Again Paul said, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
After reverently addressing God, the Psalmist made his request known. In the time of battle, what was his request? Simply, “…look upon the face of thine anointed” (V. 9). This makes me think that the Psalmist is David, whom God anointed to be king. David knew he was God’s possession. If you have given your heart to Jesus, you are not your own, but His. Jesus died for you. He will certainly keep and protect you.
The heart of the prayer was, look upon my face. What does God see when He looks upon my face, and your face? First of all He sees if we are looking at Him. Sometimes we may hide our face. A mother and her little daughter, late to church, slipped in and found a seat. The mother whispered, “Did you see the dirty look the usher gave me?” The daughter whispered back, “Mommy, you had that look when you came in.”
When we look face-to-face at God, He sees our heart. He is quick to answer our cry. Habakkuk, the prophet, set his heart to seek God until God spoke to him (Habakkuk 2:1-2). Don’t quit watching and waiting. The God of armies will answer. Run and pray. It’s PRAYER TIME!
