King David praises God for deliverance in Psalm 21. David opens up by proclaiming how even a king is dependent on God for salvation and finds joy in this! So many powerful people try to find salvation in money or earthly power… only a righteous man recognizes submission to God and reliance on His power, even when he has the power of a king. How much greater is God’s power for those of us who have eyes to see and ears to hear!
1O LORD, in Your strength the king will be glad,
And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
2You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips.
3For You meet him with the blessings of good things;
You set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4He asked life of You,
You gave it to him,
Length of days forever and ever.
5His glory is great through Your salvation,
Splendor and majesty You place upon him.
6For You make him most blessed forever;
You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.
7For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
8Your hand will find out all your enemies;
Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;
The LORD will swallow them up in His wrath,
And fire will devour them.
10Their offspring You will destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from among the sons of men.
11Though they intended evil against You
And devised a plot,
They will not succeed.
12For You will make them turn their back;
You will aim with Your bowstrings at their faces.
13Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power.
David recognizes that even a king needs God. He is not deceived by worldly power to thinking that a king does not need God.
If this is true for a king in this world, than how much more so for the rest of us who have no such power or influence!
No matter what troubles or danger we face, God is sufficient to help us overcome it. We find true life and purpose in serving God. With God, we overcome death itself.
All we have in this world will be taken away from us… guaranteed. If not during our lives, then it is taken or lost when we die. We take nothing with us. Few things matter when we die…
- Will we spend eternity in Heaven with God or in Hell, separated from God?
- Have we lived for God and helped others to find genuine relationship with Him?
- Will He tell us “Well done, good and faithful servant” or “Be gone, I knew you not”?
These are the questions that demand answers. God is gracious in that you have your entire life to prepare, but that opportunity ends when you die and few of us know when that will happen, so the matter is urgent. Once you die it is too late to change the answers. All that is left is to accept the consequences… you will either have absolute joy or sorrow and suffering.
The good news is that each of us gets to choose! No one else chooses for us. The invitation is open to all.
God shows His love for us in this life and in the offer for eternal life through accepting Jesus as Lord. He became man, suffered, died, was buried and rose again so that we could be forgiven of the bad behaviors, thoughts, and actions in our lives and be reconciled to God. Have you turned away from your sin and asked God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ? Have you accepted Jesus as your savior?
Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.
Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.