453_Rejoicing in His strength Psalm 21 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2 You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon 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 salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the 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 moved. 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 blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 11 Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power. Charles Spurgeon once told a story about a humble village blacksmith. Every day, the man labored with fire and hammer, pounding metal into shape. His arms were strong, his back muscled with years of service. One evening, someone asked him, “How do you continue to work so tirelessly every day?” The blacksmith, pausing and wiping the sweat off his brow, pointed upward and said, “All my strength is borrowed. It is He who lends it daily.” That response humbles and empowers. Instead of celebrating his own strength, independence, and willpower, the blacksmith was assured of the truth - strength comes from God. Psalm 21 celebrates victory—not as a monument to human effort, but as a testimony to divine power. Psalm 21 is a continuation of Psalm 20. In Psalm 20, the people cry out to God, interceding on behalf of their king—asking God to grant him victory and fulfill his heart’s desire. It’s a picture of dependence and expectation. But in Psalm 21, that cry turns into praise. The prayers have been answered. The battle is over. Victory has been granted. The people are rejoicing. The king exults in the Lord’s strength. David, though a seasoned and mighty warrior, never credited himself for his triumphs. “O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!” (v. 1). This is not the voice of a man boasting in his accomplishments but the voice of a heart surrendered to divine help. David knew he was fighting the Lord’s battles, and because of that, the Lord would provide strength and victory. This psalm lays bare the relationship between David and his God. In Psalm 20, the people