But We in the Name of the Lord Our God

Psalm 20 is one of the most stirring royal psalms in the Book of Psalms. It is a communal prayer — the people standing before their king on the eve of battle, pouring out blessings and petitions on his behalf. The psalm begins with the people's voice, offering prayers that God will answer the king, remember his offerings, and grant his heart's desire. Then the tone shifts: the king himself breaks in with a declaration of certainty — "Now I know" — affirming that the Lord saves His anointed not through the power of armies but through the might of His right hand. The psalm ends where it began, the people calling out one final time for salvation. It is a song built on the tension between human force and divine power — and it resolves that tension completely.

The central verse, chosen as the title of this song, is:

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we call upon the name of the Lord our God."

This is the psalm's declaration of identity. The surrounding nations place their confidence in military hardware — the fastest, the strongest, the most heavily armed. Israel's answer is not another weapon. It is a name. And the psalm closes with the proof: they bowed and fell; we rose and stand upright.

This song is part of the larger journey of the project: with God's help, to compose and sing the entire Book of Psalms in a diverse, emotional, Jewish, and uplifting musical language.