THE KING’S HEART’S DESIRE
Opening Prayer
My Lord, I choose to revel in the glory of Your salvation today.
Read Psalm 21
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
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.
8 Your hand will lay hold 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.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you
and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13 Be exalted in your strength, Lord;
we will sing and praise your might.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Count your blessings: it’s a vital spiritual discipline!This is the perfect psalm to read soon after Solomon’s request for wisdom, since his father reflects on all that God has given him. Identify the different ways that God has shown his blessing to his anointed king in these verses.
There is always a danger that one’s heart’s desires are merely a reflection of selfish ambitions or sinful passions. When God grants his king whatever he desires, we can be sure that he would never indulge him. The crucial point is the fact that David has his relationship with God on the right track. He trusts him (7)!
The heart of his confidence in God lies with that wonderful Hebrew word translated in the NIV as unfailing love. It is almost impossible to translate into any language. But it includes God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises, his kindness and gentleness, his love and purpose for us to flourish. All of this is promised. That is the basis of confidence. God’s rule must be upheld (8–13). We will never understand his judgment if we assume it is anything like human short-temperedness or rage. It is fundamentally different—it is his settled hostility to sin. A universe where he did nothing about evil and injustice would be terrifying. This is the reason for praise and gratitude to God for his justice (13; cf. Rev. 19:1,2).
Apply
Reflect on how our access to God’s love through Jesus gives us confidence to persevere with him. Have you taken for granted your open access to God’s presence?
Closing prayer
Give thanks that through Jesus, every one of us can relish God’s love.
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