Daily Psalm February 4

Read Psalm 21:1–7.

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.

REJOICING IN THE KING.

Psalm 21 is thanksgiving for the answered prayers of Psalm 20. The people have triumphed because their king has. But the language describing the king now bursts its own banks. He lives “for ever and ever” and receives splendor and bliss “unending.” We might think this flattering hyperbole, if we didn’t know that these things are true of Jesus, the ultimate king, without exaggeration. In him the splendor, the intimacy with God (verse 6), and the assurance of final triumph all are ours. And Jesus’s “heart’s desire” is our salvation. “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11). Our daily joy should be as exuberant as this psalm.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you ran your course with joy—and it cost you your life—all because your heart’s desire was that we should be your people. Through you I have access to the Father and the assurance of resurrection. Let these joyous certainties animate my daily life. You are my King indeed. Amen.