Praise for Deliverance.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
21 O Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad,
And in Your [a]salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. [b]Selah.
3 For You meet him with the blessings of good things;
You set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life of You,
You gave it to him,
Length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through Your [c]salvation,
Splendor and majesty You place upon him.
6 For You make him [d]most blessed forever;
You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time [e]of your anger;
The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,
And fire will devour them.
10 Their [f]offspring You will destroy from the earth,
And their [g]descendants from among the sons of men.
11 Though they [h]intended evil against You
And devised a plot,
They will not succeed.
12 For You will make them turn their back;
You will [i]aim with Your bowstrings at their faces.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power.
Once more we see this contrast: David is crowned king, and arrayed in “splendor and majesty”. Yet he does not take credit for anything, and instead finds joy in God’s strength and salvation. David was a man who won many battles, yet in the second section, we don’t find David chasing down his enemies or waging his own battles.
Rather, the king (David) trusts in God, and he will not be shaken because of God’s lovingkindness–not because he has built up such an impressive army and fortified many cities. David leaves the battles in God’s capable hands, knowing that God will take care of both the evildoer, and those who love Him.
Not that God expects us to sit back and twiddle our thumbs, but the outcome is not up to us. Ultimately, we are to do what God asks of us, and we can only know what that is if we are praying, listening and paying attention to His directions.
So every day, remember that you need His direction, and take the time to find it. Then rely on God’s strength and salvation to make it happen, for the task may be well beyond you–that’s kind of the point. Don’t rely on your own understanding, but ask daily for His wisdom to make the best decisions, in your life, and for those around you.