THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH

Passage: Psalm 21:1-13

Key verse: 1

NIV

Psalm 21[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.(A)
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!(B)

2 You have granted him his heart’s desire(C)
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.[b]
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold(D) on his head.(E)
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
    length of days, for ever and ever.(F)
5 Through the victories(G) you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.(H)
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy(I) of your presence.(J)
7 For the king trusts in the Lord;(K)
    through the unfailing love(L) of the Most High(M)
    he will not be shaken.(N)

8 Your hand will lay hold(O) 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.(P)
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.(Q)
11 Though they plot evil(R) against you
    and devise wicked schemes,(S) they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs(T)
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted(U) in your strength, Lord;(V)
    we will sing and praise your might.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-13 is numbered 21:2-14.
  2. Psalm 21:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

21 O Lord, in your (A)strength the king rejoices,
    and in your (B)salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have (C)given him his heart's desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you (D)meet him with rich blessings;
    you set (E)a crown of (F)fine gold upon his head.
4 He asked life of you; you (G)gave it to him,
    (H)length of days forever and ever.
5 His (I)glory is great through your salvation;
    (J)splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever;[a]
    you make him glad with the (K)joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be (L)moved.

8 Your hand will (M)find out all your enemies;
    your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as (N)a blazing oven
    when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his (O)wrath,
    and (P)fire will consume them.
10 You (Q)will destroy their (R)descendants from the earth,
    and their offspring from among the children of man.
11 Though they plan evil against you,
    though they (S)devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them (T)to flight;
    you will (U)aim at their faces with your bows.

13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

In Psalm 21, King David praises the Lord for his victory in a military battle and praises the Lord who is his strength. When he relied on the Lord in prayer, God preserved his life and gave him a crown of gold. After victory, it is easy to forget about God’s help and praise ourselves. But David was humble in battle and in victory and gave all his praise to God. Who do we praise when we experience success and victory over our enemies?

In the second half of this psalm, King David acknowledges the real threat of his enemies. Both the nations of Aram and Amnon joined against him. At that moment, God devoured them and fought on David’s side. When we face insurmountable odds, we also need to rely on God as our strength and experience his miraculous victory over our opposition.

Prayer: Father, thank you for strengthening me in the battles of faith. I trust in your protection and give you all my praise.

One Word: Praise the Lord who is my strength!