Read Psalm 21
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle,
you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and his fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you
and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13 Be exalted in your strength, Lord;
we will sing and praise your might.
Go Deeper
This psalm begins with thanksgiving for the answered prayers of Psalm 20. In verses 1-6, David is praising God for past victories that were accomplished in the Lord. We see a recap of all the blessings that David has received: strength, salvation, his heart’s desire, rich blessings, a crown of fine gold, length of days, splendor and majesty… just to name a few. This is a bountiful list of all the things that men seem to chase and want to acquire – and David has them and is praising God for providing them.
But specifically look at verse 6, “For you make him most blessed forever, you make him glad with the joy of your presence.” David’s joy is not rooted in all of those “things” listed above – his joy is found by being in the presence of God Almighty. This is reiterated in Acts 2:28 where it says, “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.” David is giving us a powerful reminder that our countenance and feelings of joy and gladness will not be found in earthly blessings, but in sitting at the feet of our Savior.
Then in verse 7, David makes the proclamation, “For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.” Other translations say the King relies on the Lord and the King is confident in the Lord. David’s security and assurance are found in his steadfast love for the Lord which can not be moved.
David closes the psalm by praising God for future victories.
We can glean a lot of wisdom from the pattern David establishes in this psalm of praise: Praising God for what He’s already accomplished (verses 1-6), proclaiming our trust and faith in God’s steadfast and unchanging love (verse 7), and then praising God for what He can accomplish in the future (verses 8-14). May we learn from King David that the fullness of our joy in all past, present and future victories can be found simply by being in the presence of the Lord.
Questions
- What is your heart’s desire? Where do you typically find joy & gladness?
- What would it look like for you to find joy in the presence of the Lord?
- Is your assurance and confidence rooted in your relationship with Jesus?
Listen Here:
Listen to this short podcast of Pastor David Platt expanding on verse 6 and explaining what it means to find joy in God’s presence.
5 responses to “Psalm 21”
THANK YOU, WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These words should flow out of our mouths continually and constantly. What God has done and is doing on a minutely basis should be how we also respond to Him. Thank You!
Are you stepping out in faith to ask, do and follow through with what God is showing or giving you to accomplish? Are you really seeking God for answers? What kind of response is He giving? Are you giving back the correct response of one showing others love, kindness and giving Him glory and honor for all the ways He is and has blessed you?
God is HESED! He is unfailing, never ending, forever and eternity LOVE. Is your all eternity written in the Lambs book of life?
God thank You beyond thank You’s for my understanding of and constant continually learning of, how much and great is Your love for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God thank You that I do not take that for granted ever. Let my heart, even when it is heavy, be in a state of gratefulness and joy because You are God. You are who I answer to. You are who has the answers to all the questions. Your word is shaper than any two edged sword and in it holds all truth. God help me to keep searching, learning and You showing me what You would have me know and understand. God today, in these minutes, of this day, help me to love all I come in contact with through Your love. God let my words be grateful and edifying to all ears. Thank You for loving me beyond all my faults and showing me how to love others better today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!
This psalm reminds me that the world will offer counterfeit schemes that once followed will foil God’s best for us. Instead, believers have a far better way of trusting in the Lord and his unfailing love. Our true strength comes from the Lord.
Vs 4 points to the eternal life promised through Jesus Christ.
Nothing is purer than this joy as a believer. May my life be a testament to God’s faithfulness and goodness.
Today’s reading in Psalm 21 meets us in a place of victory — prayers answered, requests granted, nothing withheld.
And yet, on this morning after Easter, I find myself struggling with some things that aren’t quite so resolved.
In Christ, the reckoning was complete.
Nothing left unaccounted for.
Nothing unpaid.
And we were created in Christ to long for such resolution.
Especially as we experience the pain and weight of wrongs that carry a heavy, painful cost. Once we find out that debts don’t disappear just because they’re undisclosed.
And as we discover that full restoration of wrong begins with a full and honest accounting.
Psalm 21 celebrates the kind of victory that comes when God answers fully — when all debts are paid and all IS restored.
But many (most?) of us still live in the tension between what is already true in Christ — and what has yet to be restored
So on this day after Easter, I find myself in a pivotal moment in the whole Easter narrative:
Confessing this unresolved longing for restoration — and asking God’s help as I seek to move towards it.
Which, come to think of it, is a pretty sound “day after Easter” move.
Because it is only AFTER Easter that God’s people can start living fully — as His fully restored people.
6 and made him glad with the joy of your presence
To live a life that has “joy in your presence”! That’s what it is all about!