Psalm 20 is a song written as a prayer for a king before going into battle. It isn’t a song of triumph and victory, but it’s an honest acknowledgment that there will be “times of trouble.”

“In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.” ~Psalm 20:1

The pslamist doesn’t say that the battle will be easy. He prays that God will be present when it isn’t.

This is what I’m reflecting on on this Good Friday: entering into God’s purposes does not relieve us from difficulty.

If anything, it guarantees it.

Nowhere is this truth more visible than in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before the cross, where Jesus, God the Son, the One through whom all things were made, was not exempt from the anxiety of an upcoming battle.

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” ~Luke 22:42

In our battles through life, we might often think our struggles are because we’ve done wrong. The agony in Gethsemane tells us different. Jesus wasn’t entering a battle because He was standing outside of God’s will.

He was at the center of it.

He prayed for another way. He pleaded that this cup of suffering be taken from Him. Instead of removing the suffering that comes with battle, as we often pray for God to do, He sent an angel to meet Jesus in His pain to strengthen Him.

The king of Psalm 20 goes into battle. Jesus goes to the cross. And both are held in the same truth: the times of trouble do not mean God has turned away from us.

The battle you face for the sake of God’s kingdom is not a mistake. The cost is not a sign that you missed the mark. God is doing something in the refining, something that will outlive the battle, and will bring glory to His name in a way that an easy, untested life can’t.

If God didn’t remove the struggle from Jesus, perfect and sinless, we simply can’t expect Him to remove it from us.

Let Him work in you in the times of trouble. Let the battle become the very thing that makes you more of who He created you to be, and less of everything that was never meant to last anyway.

Songs for seasons such as this:

“Lost my sense of direction, water’s taking me down. Then God lifted up His hand…”

“When I’m caught deep in the valley with chaos for my company, I’ll find my comfort here because I know that You are near.”

“This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You.”